Discreet Manila

Photoshopped self-kissing: hot or gross?

2009-11-10T00:16:00.004+08:00

Here’s an interesting find on the Internet. This French artist created 26 amazing pieces depicting people passionately kissing themselves. The level of Photoshopping quality is amazing and I find myself mesmerized looking at the set. However, I can’t decide if the pictures are a homoerotic turn-on, just plain narcissistic, or grossly incestuous (as if twins were kissing each other). What do you think? I personally consider the two photos above hot.

Queeriosity Palace: Men’s Private Sanctuary and Playground

2009-11-08T15:22:00.004+08:00

After doing a series of guide articles on Epitome and Club Bath, I will now start featuring the next bathhouse and that is Queeriosity Palace. This bathhouse is the newest among the ones in Metro Manila, having opened last April 5, 2008. Unfortunately, it was raided soon after (see my post about the raid for a backgrounder). The raid was apparently a case of mistaken identity (see below) and the bathhouse continues to operate to this day (and even had a change of ownership) with no more hitches from the authorities.

Fahrenheit’s cousin

I first heard back in 2006 or 2007 that Wilbert, the owner of Fahrenheit (that bathhouse in Quezon City), planned to have a second bathhouse in the south. Queeriosity Palace is apparently the realization of this plan and the establishment is located along F.B. Harrison Street in Pasay (along the same road as Club Bath, but on the opposite side of Buendia).

I don’t know why he named the new place Queeriosity Palace, but I think he missed a huge marketing opportunity by not naming the bathhouse Celsius. Fahrenheit—Celsius, get it? Even if he didn’t pick the name Celsius, Wilbert could have done better picking a name less... um... queer. Bathhouses, by their nature, are relatively discreet places, and a name like “Queeriosity” just doesn’t cut it. An additional problem was that the entrance of the bathhouse had this big-ass signage proclaiming the name of the place. On a locally-busy street. Good thing the sign is no more and has been replaced with a more discreet metal lettering on the wall.

The true story behind the raid

Apparently, the real story behind the infamous raid at Queeriosity Palace was not because the place is gay, but because the police thought that the establishment was a continuing KTV joint fronting for female prostitution. Before Queeriosity Palace was opened, it was a place called El Barako. Male clients ostensibly went there to sing karaoke, but girl G.R.O.s were on hand to “serve” the eager clients in private KTV rooms.

When QP opened, the police thought that it was still the same place, with just a name change. When they realized that the place is actually a gay bathhouse (which is not illegal since there is no prostitution involved), they continued with the raid to save face. No charges were filed and they released everyone shortly after bringing them to the precinct. According to one policeman, “Kung alam naming na baklaan pala yun, hindi na naming pinasok yun.” Of course, this doesn’t diminish the fact that those people caught were humiliated and this incident diminished QP’s reputation.

Change of ownership

Sometime early this year, the owners of Hilom decided to buy Queeriosity Palace. There wasn’t really any noticeable change in operations except that the planned gym at the ground floor became a sort-of lounge instead and that Hilom masseurs had rotating assignments at Queeriosity to provide massage services at the bathhouse. In addition, I think you can now get free condoms on entry. This wasn’t done before, anywhere, because apparently the police thinks that an establishment that offers free condoms equates to prostitution. I think the owner managed to be successful with his dialogues with the authorities.

My initial thoughts

My single biggest beef with Queeriosity Palace is its location. Yes, it’s very much accessible and easy to reach, but the street where its located is much too busy for my taste. There’s far too many people loitering on the street and there are many active shops nearby. And it’s located right beside Unioil. It’s unlikely for you to go inside without anyone outside noticing you come in. I think this is the biggest turn-off for Queeriosity Palace. It was worse before when the place had a huge sign outside as I mentioned above. Club Bath, Epitome, and Fahrenheit have vastly more discreet entrances.

Aside from the location, Queeriosity Palace is a pretty decent bathhouse. It’s housed in a two-storey building with all the usual bathhouse amenities: lockers, showers, and private rooms. The showers on the first floor is an exhibitionist’s and voyeur’s delight—it consists of two rows of back-to-back shower heads on a free-standing wall with no dividers. The shower room on the second floor is a bit more palatable to the self-conscious since it has dividers.

Unlike in Club Bath and Epitome, there is no mini-gym here (the original owner planned to have one but the new owners decided not to pursue it). There is a bar on the ground floor, a jacuzzi (better than Epitome’s), and a steam room. The second floor contains an Internet cafe and a movie room showing blue films. The second floor also has four private rooms that you can avail of, but for the budget conscious, there are plenty of free-for-all smaller rooms with beds. These rooms (when clean) is the best feature of Queeriosity Palace compared to Club Bath and Epitome.

Pila Balde

2009-11-01T23:17:00.004+08:00

I just had to ask: who experienced the ultra-long line going to Bed's door last night? Who would've thought that Bed's Black Halloween Party would be that popular? And the place was so packed, it almost brought back memories of the smaller Bed circa 2004. I actually know of a couple of people who left about an hour after entering just to escape the crowd.

The leaving-your-card trick

2009-10-24T11:29:00.002+08:00

So, you’ve exchanged the look a few times with this guy in the gym and you both know that you are both interested in each other. But how do you get to know each other discreetly, mindful that other people might be watching or that either of you may have companions that you don’t want to learn of your flirting ways?

One way I know of and one that I’ve personally experienced is the leaving-your-card trick. (Yes, I made that term up.) Basically, it entails one guy leaving a calling card (or even a number written on a small piece of paper) somewhere discreet but in full view of the other man. The other guy then gets the card a short time later. It’s perfectly discreet: wordless and inconspicuous!

One guy I met at the gym before used this trick. We've been exchanging glances but neither of us had to courage to approach the other and have small talk. So I was sitting on a couch when he went to the nearby drinking station. I then saw him leave his calling card on the side and when he left, I went to the station pretending to be thirsty myself. I grabbed the card and several minutes later, we were texting each other.

I tried doing this trick myself before but it didn’t work out. The small piece of paper where I wrote my number was intercepted by the janitor who promptly threw it in the wastebasket. Sigh.

Ang Laro ng Buhay ni Juan

2009-10-22T23:50:00.002+08:00

It’s a bit hard writing your thoughts about a movie when you’ve met the film’s director and screenwriter, especially when they were gracious and nice to you. But since I’m not The Bakla Reviewer, nor a professional movie critic, I don’t think it will be a great loss if people think my “movie review” is biased. That said, I will try my best to give an honest opinion on the latest Altarejos-Bonife film Ang Laro ng Buhay ni Juan, which opened last Wednesday in various Robinsons Movieworld cinemas. I also briefly blogged about this film back in August.

I was able to attend the special screening of this film at Mogwai at the Cubao Shoe Expo the other Wednesday, October 14, thanks to Lex Bonife, the movie’s screenwriter. There, I met him and director Joselito Altarejos and they each told me that they enjoyed reading my blog. Joselito recounted how he just came from having the movie approved by the MTRCB that day and how it was a learning experience to be in charge of producing the movie from start to finish—Ang Laro is the first movie to be produced under Joselito’s BeyondtheBox production.

The special screening was also graced by some of the film’s actors like Ray An Dulay, May-i Fabros, Tony Lapena, Mark Xander Fabillar and newcomer Ace Ricaforte. I’ve had a crush on Ray An ever since I’ve seen him in Moreno and he looks even more attractive in person. He may not be as muscular or as ripped as other actors or models, but I like him a lot. As for Ace, who has been the focus of the movie’s promotional efforts, he’s quite cute in person as well as being very nice.

Going back to the movie, I would have to say that it isn’t my most favorite Altarejos-Bonife film. The best for me is still Ang Lihim ni Antonio and Kambyo is next. That said, the movie wasn’t bad at all. It’s far from being crap unlike other films I’ve seen and I’m not saying that just to be nice to Jose and Lex. The movie’s plot is quite simple and there’s really no overarching conflict. What you read about the plot in the promotional material is basically it: Juan (known to others as Erwin) decides to go back to the province, leaving his poor neighborhood and his lover behind; he engages in one last live-sex performance in an underground gay club called Inner Sanctum and the place gets raided by the authorities. (What happens after? Watch to find out!)

The film runs smack into two very common Pinoy gay indie movie clichés: sex workers and nitty-gritty poverty. But Ang Laro manages to give a pretty fresh take into these concepts. I also liked how they added some social commentary into the movie but kept it subtle and in the background (and in one scene, quite literally). The acting is pretty good, with commendable performances by Ray An Dulay, Nico Antonio, who played Juan’s lover, and Angeli Bayani as the poverty-stricken mother. In addition, the film’s sole song (written by Lex) that framed the boundary between the movie’s two acts is quite good. (Lex, pahingi ng kopya! )

What amazed me most about Joselito’s direction is the really, really long take in the first half of the film. Unless I blinked, there’s a 20-minute-long scene in the first half of the film that had no cuts at all. While this makes for a very shaky camera-work, I find it hard not to marvel at the effort needed to coordinate everything so that the long take goes off as planned. I forgot to ask Joselito if and how many takes they did to make that scene.

As for the much-touted live-sex performance scene? Don’t expect much. If you want to see this film just to get a glimpse of Ace’s privates, then skip the theater and just search for those frontal nudity screenshots that were posted at RDDantes’ blog (but were later taken down). Little Boy Big Boy, Lex and Jose’s previous film, is more erotic, and that’s considering that it was already censored when I saw it.

Speaking of Little Boy Big Boy, I suspected and Lex confirmed that the O party scene in that movie was inspired by Sanctum. Well, Ang Laro is greatly inspired by Sanctum as well since it featured a fictitious gay club called Inner Sanctum that was unabashedly patterned after the real Sanctum. I had fun comparing and contrasting Inner Sanctum with the real Sanctum, since I’ve been to the latter a few times. The raid in the film was also obviously taken from the real Sanctum raid. If you haven’t done so, you should read my three-part series about the raid to get some extensive background.

Ang Laro ng Buhay ni Juan is a decent film to watch and would recommend you see it. Just don’t expect a lot of skin (though there’s enough but not too much to be exploitative).

Here are some other substantive links about the movie elsewhere if you want to get more perspectives:

The trailer on YouTube
Review at the Pinoy Gay Guy Confidential blog
Review by The Daily Tribune’s Edgar Cruz
Ang Laro posts at Lex Bonife’s blog (for lots of behind-the-scenes details)

Pinoy PLU Signal: Single Gym-goer

2009-10-08T07:47:00.003+08:00

A friend once told me that he confirmed that I was PLU when he saw that I was enrolled in a gym. I was utterly bewildered by this, but on hindsight, I realized that he may be on to something.

I now think that if you see a man who is single and works out in the gym, then the chances are good that he is gay. I believe this idea works because gay guys are still men after all. Men are more into looks than women. (I know this for a fact since I’ve seen too many nice and pretty ladies with boyfriends that I wouldn’t give a second look.) Gay guys know how other guys think and thus, to have a good shot at nabbing that hunk, one has to be well-built himself. Therefore we have such stereotypes like the gym bunny and the reason why gym is the gay church.

Of course, this should not be generalized to every single gym-goer or to the preferences of every gay guy. But, don’t you think that there is some truth to this?

Ondoy’s Spartans

2009-10-04T21:58:00.003+08:00

I came across the cute picture above being circulated in Tumblr. Enjoy!

MIT project on Facebook could determine whether you’re gay

2009-09-30T10:07:00.002+08:00

A 2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) project has found that you can reliably determine whether a guy on Facebook is gay. The project was dubbed “Gaydar” and it is essentially an analytic application of the adage “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.” You can read all about it from this recent Boston Globe article, an excerpt of which is found below:

Using data from the social network Facebook, they made a striking discovery: just by looking at a person’s online friends, they could predict whether the person was gay. They did this with a software program that looked at the gender and sexuality of a person’s friends and, using statistical analysis, made a prediction. The two students had no way of checking all of their predictions, but based on their own knowledge outside the Facebook world, their computer program appeared quite accurate for men, they said. People may be effectively “outing” themselves just by the virtual company they keep.

Now before you go “unfriending” all of your gay friends on Facebook, Friendster, Multiply, and other social networks, take note that this project only looked at a small sample of MIT students on Facebook and that they verified their hypothesis with only a small fraction of that. Their study might not be applicable to us because of our different social culture and norms.

That said, I think there’s some truth to their findings. I was able to guess that a college acquaintance of mine is gay (let’s call him X) when I noticed that X started hanging out a lot with this other guy (whom I’ll refer to as Y) based on posts on Y’s blog. I suspected that Y is gay, though I have no definite proof. My only evidence for Y is that he commented on MGG several times, which is pretty incriminating, right? I confirmed my suspicion when I ran into X and asked him about it. Turns out he and Y became boyfriends. Well, I confided to X that I was PLU too.

You can actually infer quite a lot based on one’s circle of friends. So if you’re the ultra-discreet PLU, I suggest covering all of your tracks, especially online (use proxies!), if you value your closet.

Donate your gimik money to Ondoy victims

2009-09-29T10:27:00.004+08:00

Here’s an idea: instead of spending your money at gay clubs, bars, or bathhouses this week, why not donate the money instead to the victims of Ondoy? The 350-peso entrance fee you would pay to get inside Bed this Saturday would go a long way towards relief efforts in this unprecedented flooding. In fact, probably the quickest way to spend that P350 is to donate it to the Philippine National Red Cross via text message. Just type “RED <space> <amount>” then send to 2899 for Globe and 4483 for Smart. Valid denominations are 5, 25, 50, 100 and 300.

For other ways to help, check out this Google Typhoon Ondoy page, which seems fairly comprehensive.

I do hope you are all safe and sound. I have several friends who lost their house or their belongings but at least they are all alive and safe.

PinoyG4M is back!

2009-09-26T21:45:00.003+08:00

Wow! Bringing PinoyG4M.com back online took a shorter time than I expected. This is probably old news for some of you, but there you go: PG4M is back up! The unofficial G4M successor was taken offline early last month due to web hosting issues and if I’m not mistaken the site administrators managed to bring it back up about 10 days ago. I actually learned about the news a few days after.

Poking around, I think most, if not all, of the data was restored. I’m just a casual lurker in the site so I’m not sure if there were any changes in functionality or if there were any added features. I plan to be just a bit more active since I saw an interesting thread in the forums.

How things work in Club Bath

2009-09-25T21:41:00.005+08:00

I’ve already told you guys how to get to Club Bath and how it’s layed out inside, so, just like what I did for Epitome, I’ll do the same for Club Bath and give you a rundown of what to expect and how to conduct yourself in this bathhouse. Before we continue, you should review Club Bath’s website since it already provides quite a lot of information. I’ll just elaborate or fill in the missing details.

Club Bath’s entrance along Valhalla St. is manned by the hired security guard. He can also help with parking if ever you’re bringing a car. Just inside the gate, you just need to go straight ahead to the end and enter the registration area. If there is already somebody else at the counter, you need to wait your turn.

Once at the counter you then need to register and pay for your entrance. If you’re registering for the first time, the registration fee is 250 pesos while for renewal, it’s 100. To register, you only need to provide them an ID and to fill out a membership form. You can probably get away with providing minimal information in the form, but the name you write must match the one on the ID.

Unlike in Epitome, the membership fee does not serve as your entrance fee. (This is probably why Club Bath has this high-end, pricey air about it.) You need to pay for the entrance separately and you need to tell the attendant whether you’re availing of a locker or a private room. Also, you and a friend cannot share costs by availing a room (or locker ) for both of you. Each has to avail a locker or a room. The rate for a locker is currently 200 pesos during weeknights and 230 pesos for weekends, holidays, and the nights before them (e.g., Friday). The rates for a private room are 350 and 400 pesos respectively. When you hand the payment (and your ID and membership card if you’re a returning member), the attendant will then give you a card where you need to write your name and sign it. Then he will ring up your fee on the cash register, give you change (if any), staple the receipt from the cash register to the card from earlier then have you sign that receipt. Only then will the attendant press a button unlocking the inner door to the bathhouse. Just pull the door to open and get inside.

Just past the door, there is a smaller counter where you can get your bathhouse stuff and deposit your bag. If you availed of a private room, another attendant will escort you to it. If you got a locker, the attendant will usher you to your locker. Unlike in Epitome, you don’t need to deposit your valuables with the staff—you keep them in your locker or your room. Each room has a safety deposit box for your use. The aforementioned bathhouse stuff consists of a bath towel, a face towel, a pair of slippers and the key(s) to your locker or room/deposit box. Like in Epitome, the key(s) are attached to a wristband.

By policy, cellphones are not allowed in the common areas. But since you did not deposit them with the staff, you are free to check it anytime in your locker or room. Just don’t bring them out or the staff will reprimand you when caught.

Stripping down and wearing the towel is the norm, but you can get away with wearing just your briefs or boxers. I’ve even seen some people roam around in jeans (but shirtless) and a guy who wears a black tank top over his briefs. So the attire is quite lax, but expect guys to look at you askance if you go around in full street clothes.

Smoking is not allowed in the air-conditioned areas, but there are two balconies on the second floor, a dark room and lanai on the third floor and the open area at the back of the ground floor for that. Free biscuits/candy is available on the first floor (by the gym area) as well as free coffee and drinking water. If you want heartier snacks, you can buy cup noodles or chips; just ask the staff at the registration area. The available snacks can be found in the display cabinet at the back of the TV area near the Internet cafe room. Speaking of Internet, there is free Wi-Fi available though I haven’t seen anyone use it.

When you’re ready to leave, just change back into your clothes then proceed to the third registration counter facing the gym area. This is where you will drop your bathhouse stuff. Then exit at the door to your right and wait for your ID and membership card (and bag). You will also need to sign the back of the card from earlier to signify that you received your things. Leave the premises and come back again next day!

Shown above is how Club Bath’s membership card looks like. Unlike Epitome’s, Club Bath’s card is a classy plastic card. Anyone who looks at it might think that it’s for a swanky gym or spa. The back side of the card has a space for the member’s signature, the expiry date, a barcode, and some legalese text which states:

Signer agrees to abide by all club rules. This card remains the property of the issuer and must be surrendered upon request. This card is not transferable and additional photo ID is required.

It’s a good thing that the card now features a nice gold-tinted gradient. I’ve seen an older card with garish rainbow colors!

A couple of tech world hotties

2009-09-20T11:59:00.005+08:00

I keep up somewhat with the consumer electronics and tech industry (like many guys who are into computers and gadgets) and I came across this recent list of the 100 most influential people in the tech world. This list was compiled by the T3 website/magazine in the UK. They admit that the list is slanted towards the United Kingdom and consumer electronics, but the list contains a wide representation of people. It was no surprise that Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page occupied the top spot and the top positions were dominated by the founders or CEOs of Google, Microsoft, Apple, Twitter, Facebook, LG, Sony, Intel and Samsung. A mild surprise was U.S. President Barack Obama at #18, but I guess it’s because of his heavy use of the Web and the Internet during his campaign and in his administration. Musician Trent Reznor even made the list at #59!

The list diplays photos of these people so being the PLU guy that I am, I scoped out who was cute or hot. Below are the two hottest guys on the list in my opinion. The guy to the left is Mashable blog founder Pete Cashmore at #71 and the other one is Apple Senior VP of Industrial Design Jonathan Ive at #52.

Pete Cashmore looks more like a GQ model than a tech blogger. He has this really nice unshaven look on his strong square jaw as you can see from pictures of him on the web. This Scotsman just turned 24 last Friday. Jonathan Ive, on the other hand, is this nice big, hunky, buzz cut dude that gave us the iconic designs of the Mac, iPod, and iPhone. See more pictures of him online. Hmmm... they actually look similar to each other. Hehehe.

Among the Asians in the list, I think ASUS designer Aken Ko at #87 is the hottest, while the following seem to be handsome as well: #91 Josh Silverman of Skype and #57 Kevin Rose of Digg.

Agree, disagree?

A look at the UN declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity

2009-09-19T11:21:00.005+08:00

For another dose of current affairs and issues, I turn you now to the world map above. The countries in green are those that have backed a 2008 declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity that was proposed to the General Assembly of the United Nations. The countries in red, on the other hand, are those that oppose the said declaration and have backed a contrary statement (along the lines of religious freedom). (See this NYT article for more info.) The proposed declaration, according to Wikipedia:

includes a condemnation of violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also includes condemnation of killings and executions, torture, arbitrary arrest, and deprivation of economic, social, and cultural rights on those grounds.

It’s quite obvious from the map that most of the Western world (including the whole of the European Union) have backed the statement while almost all Islamic countries don’t. Among the opponents (but not a signatory to either statement) is the Vatican’s Holy See, which is a UN observer. One surprise, given the Islam-sponsored backing of the opposing statement, is Albania, a European Muslim-majority country, which backs the first declaration. The United States, under George W. Bush, originally refused to sign the declaration but under Obama became a signatory.

Closer to home, we see that the Philippines is quite neutral on the declaration (or apathetic). Quite curiouser is the fact that East Timor signed the declaration despite being a predominantly-Catholic country. (Yes, the Philippines is no longer the only predominantly Catholic nation in Asia when East Timor gained its independence from Indonesia in 2002.)

This declaration is easily the most important worldwide issue directly affecting the PLU community and breaks a longstanding taboo regarding discussing homosexuality at the United Nations. The main aim is to extend the values enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights to include sexual orientation and gender identity, and one of its first goals is to seek the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide. French state secretary for human rights Rama Yade said at the UN, “How can we tolerate the fact that people are stoned, hanged, decapitated and tortured only because of their sexual orientation?” But this declaration will be a hard sell especially in countries having a state religion that forbids homosexuality.

While many people deplore the fact that gays can’t legally marry their partners almost everywhere, let’s not forget the fact that there are areas in this world where people are executed just for being gay. So this UN declaration deserves our support.

What would you tell your 18-year-old self?

2009-09-17T19:40:00.003+08:00

Reader RD recently sent me an email asking for advice to give to barely-legal people like him:

Subject: hey there :D

First of all, I’d like to thank you for putting this little piece of cyberspace awesomeness up. Obviously, just from the “:D” smiley, you could already tell I’m not exactly that mature yet. lol. 18 to be exact. I’m an avid [yet discerning] reader (’di pa ’ko super legal hehehe) anyway, I suddenly thought of something I’d actually want to hear from you: advice for the new-bloods like me. If you want pa nga something more dramatic, what would you tell your 18 year-old self? :D I know that teens aren’t exactly your target audience, but whatever. lol. pretty please?

can’t wait ’till your next posts,
-Romeo Delta

Dear RD,

Thanks for the compliment and for supporting this site! I must say that it is tough to find a suitable general advice to give to young people like you. I guess it’s much easier to give advice if there’s a specific problem to be tackled, right? Another problem I see is that I observe that gay/bi guys are starting to come to grips with their sexuality and exploring around at a much younger age. (I guess the growing acceptance of homosexuality—nagiging uso daw—has something to do with it.) So trying to put myself in the shoes of people like you might be difficult.

Anyway, I think your idea of what I would tell my 18-year-old self is very good, so let’s do it!

I don’t really have any regrets and I consider the mistakes I made to be lessons learned. But I would definitely advise my 18-year-old self that he’ll be facing life-changing experiences in the coming years. I’d advise him to take things one at a time (especially when it comes to exploring the PLU world). The thrill of meeting new guys and the excitement of getting laid is quite natural at this young age and it’s very easy to get carried away.

I’d tell him that there’s nothing wrong with exploring but to always remember to keep one’s head and to always be careful. Finally, I’ll tell him to find good friends—friends who know about his situation since he’s in the closet. The friend can be one of the guys he meets or a close existing friend that he can open up to. Having someone to pour out one’s heart to, especially in PLU matters, is one good way of relieving emotional stress.

RD, I know it may not be much but I hope that this helps. If this isn’t what you’re looking for, you know what to do.
Sincerely,
Vince

P.S. I don’t think using “:D” smileys speaks of an “immature” mind. But I do definitely think that using txtspk wen ur nt txting is appalling.

How about you guys: what would you tell your 18-year-old self?

Discreetionary: ISO

2009-09-16T20:08:00.002+08:00

ISO · abbreviation. in search of.

ISO was one of those terms that I encountered when I poked around the gay personals websites (i.e., the “old” social networking sites) back in the 90’s. It took me quite a long time to learn that it meant “in search of.” I wasn’t about to ask around lest people think that I was a newbie, and Google was non-existent back then. This term is usually followed by other acronyms like GWM (gay white male) or GAM (gay Asian male) to signify that the searchee is looking for such.

On hindsight, it appears that ISO, as a term, is not used very much, if at all, by the local PLU community. I barely see it in the chatrooms and even in the modern gay social networking sites like PlanetRomeo. What’s more common is “ASL,” right?

Is drug use really a part of the PLU scene?

2009-09-13T22:14:00.005+08:00

One thing that has perplexed me is the way the illegal drugs subculture is seemingly a prominent part of the gay culture. I thought that this was just an American thing but I have to admit that it was only through the local PLU scene that I encountered drug use firsthand. (No, I don’t take drugs and will never do.)

In the local PLU scene, I’m guessing the most abused illegal substance is MDMA, also known as Ecstasy or colloquially as E. Abuse of this substance is inextricably tied to the clubbing culture since the effects of ecstasy is best experienced with good thumping music. (And I must note that this is not exclusive to the PLU crowd.) I have a good friend that I met in BED and he’s the one that exposed me to ecstasy use. It was through him that I learned such terms like “parteee” (taking ecstasy), “journey” (feeling the euphoric effects of the drug), and “good vibes.”

Before it closed down, Club Government was where ecstasy use was most rampant. I witnessed several people “journeying” there for myself and it’s one of the reasons why I disliked going to that place. It’s sort of an open secret that drug use was extensive and even slyly tolerated in Government that I was not surprised when a blog sprung up last year denouncing Club Government, the people who frequent there, and the drug use in that club. I won’t link to that blog anymore since it’s too negative (a la Brian Gorrell vs. DJ Montano), but you can probably find it if you have enough Google skills.

Going away from the clubbing scene, another drug that I’ve seen used is poppers. A guy I had sex with in Club Bath inhaled poppers to enhance the sexual pleasure he felt. I was definitely weirded out that time.

To be fair, I think the vast majority of PLU people do avoid drugs. But you have to admit that it’s hard to avoid the stereotype shown by the American gay culture of rampant drug usage (think Queer as Folk) and wonder how it translates to the local scene. Anyway, I’d like to point you to this really eye-opening blog of a Pinoy PLU who used to do drugs but is now trying to live cleanly, especially after he was diagnosed with HIV.

Ciento: 100 posts in Discreet Manila

2009-08-30T15:21:00.004+08:00

According to the Blogger dashboard, this post is the 100th entry in Discreet Manila. Yay! This milestone comes after the first year anniversary and reaching 200 subscribers so it only means that I was not able to post as frequently as I would’ve liked. A hundred posts since February 11, 2008 comes out to about an entry every 5.7 days. But I do hope that you guys think that the quality of the posts here in Discreet Manila more than make up for the lack of quantity.

Again, I would like to thank everyone for supporting this site! I do hope you all continue to read, to participate (by commenting or sending me tips and ideas and news at discreetmanila [at] gmail.com), and to spread this blog to your friends. It is a pleasure writing about the discreet Manila PLU scene and I hope to continue blogging about it till the 1000th post and beyond!

Trying out Hilom

2009-08-29T01:40:00.002+08:00

Before this year, I had not tried going to a gay massage parlor. But since I see nothing wrong with trying something new that’s relatively harmless (so drugs are a no-no for me), I decided to go to one such place early this year. The lucky spa I chose was Hilom and the choice was because I read the blogs of the two guys that own the place and also because of the heavy promotion by their blogger friends, like Migs, CC and McVie. I was especially sold on the fact that the owners of Hilom tried to position their spa as an upscale version of the seedy places that I see in movies like Masahista

My verdict? I don’t think I’ll be going back to Hilom anytime soon, or to any other gay massage parlor for that matter. After trying the service, I can tell that gay massage parlors are definitely not for me. If I want to have a massage, I’ll go to the “legitimate” spas instead.

If you’re asking, no, I didn’t avail of the “extra service”. I went to Hilom fully expecting to get a nice massage and maybe just get teased a little bit. The thing is, I find it very uncomfortable mixing money with sex. My personal view of sex is that it is most pleasurable when done between two consenting adults with no contractual obligation of any sort. Payment for sex is an obligation and so, I don’t like that.

My experience in Hilom, at least with the particular masseur I had, was that the massage was rushed and that he was fully expecting to get paid and to do additional service. Instead of haggling for the price of the extra service, we ended up haggling on whether there would be one in the first place with him cajoling me for it and saying that he needed the money among other reasons. I ended up just giving him a very generous tip (considering the forgettable massage that I received).

Furthermore, the managers (I believe they were Derek and Gardo then), performed their duties quite perfunctorily. I didn’t feel as welcome as I would have hoped and this certainly did not help alleviate my discomfort and apprehensions at visiting the place.

As for the facilities, Hilom’s interior decoration was pleasant enough. The shower room though is quite cramped (being under the stairway) and I really don’t like getting a body massage on my belly on a plain mattress: either you tilt your head to one side and possibly strain your neck, or you keep your head straight and suffocate on the pillow.

Have you tried Hilom? I’ve read tons of comments left at Hilom’s website or blog posts about Hilom from people who’ve gone there. The comments are decidedly mixed with some saying they’re looking forward to going back to Hilom after returning to Manila while others criticizing every shortcoming (there’s plenty such negative comments on Migs’ blog post).

An update to the “Sanctum” mystery and a brand new movie

2009-08-27T22:27:00.001+08:00

I now consider the “Sanctum” mystery closed. The “Sanctum” mentioned in the credits of Little Boy/Big Boy really refers to the Sanctum that was in Cubao. But this blue bar hasn’t reopened—the people behind the movie just wanted to thank Sanctum for being the inspiration of the O party scene in the movie. So, all of my speculations were correct, except for the reopening bit.

The mystery was solved when I decided to ask Lex Bonife (the movie’s screenwriter) himself. I left a comment on his blog asking about the “Sanctum” in the credits and he replied via a new blog entry. To quote his answer:

I’m glad you asked about “Sanctum”. It was me who’s personally thanking the former bar “Sanctum”.

If you recall the orgy scene in the film, that scene was inspired by a regular event that happens in Sanctum, an exclusive male bar in Cubao.

Now, the sad thing is, Sanctum has been raided and ordered closed by the NBI courtesy of GMA’s “Imbestigador”. The kind owner, Dennis and his assistant King is still at the city jail.

Sanctum was born out of a private orgy group called “Manjobs”. The group was quite successul that they decided to stop renting hotel rooms and instead open their own bar exclusive to adult gay males in Cubao.

So it’s confirmed that Sanctum still doesn’t have a happy ending. The owner and his assistant are still in jail and I wish there was something that can be done to help them. Staying in jail—especially in this country—is a pretty rotten way to learn one’s lesson.

Anyway, Lex disclosed in that same blog post that he and Joselito Altarejos (the movie’s director) will be starting to shoot their next movie entitled Ang Laro ni Juan in a few days. The movie’s story is inspired by the Sanctum raid and I think that makes for an interesting film. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Is Sanctum back somewhere?

2009-08-25T23:01:00.005+08:00

As we all know, Sanctum was raided last May 2008 which resulted to its closure. I have no idea what happened to its owner but if the people behind it managed to regroup, I guess that they would have gone underground.

I’m asking this post’s title question because while reading the ending credits of Little Boy Big Boy, I saw the word “Sanctum” listed among the people and entities that the makers of the movie would like to thank. Is this the same Sanctum that used to be in Cubao?

Of course it’s entirely possible that this “Sanctum” is something else entirely, but given how small the PLU world is, I believe it’s unlikely. Furthermore, I think there is a connection between “Sanctum” and the O party scene in the movie. Before the raided Sanctum came to be, there was Manjobs. Manjobs was this exclusive group that organized O parties in the Quezon City area. My guess is that they put up Sanctum to provide a permanent “residence” to their parties. Unfortunately, Sanctum operated like a business without a business permit and they likely violated various laws, like Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code and RA 9208, by having live sex shows which resulted into the infamous raid.

So, can anyone shed a light on this mysterious “Sanctum”?

Update: Canuto vouches in the comments that Sanctum (Cubao) is really no more.

Update 2: The mystery is now closed.

I didn’t quite enjoy Little Boy Big Boy

2009-08-25T22:40:00.004+08:00

I guess I’m still quite conservative, especially when it comes to juxtaposing minors and homosexuality, because I cringed at the scenes in Little Boy Big Boy where the young nephew is exposed to the gay relationship between Paolo Rivero’s and Douglas Robinson’s characters (though not as much as when I saw Dose).

Anyway, I didn’t quite like Little Boy Big Boy as much as I expected. The story was pretty shallow and the ending was too contrived for my taste. And the crying scenes? Ugh, I didn’t feel that all those tears were deserved given the context. If you haven’t seen the movie, then watch the trailer; you can pretty much get the whole story from it.

That said, I’ve always had a minor crush on Paolo Rivero and seeing him making out with cutie Douglas Robinson almost makes the movie worth seeing. The problem is, the film was cut by censors to an inch of its life so I didn’t get to see the extended footage of the torrid kissing shower scene. And pardon me, I find Douglas’ voice a bit distracting.

I found the orgy scene (where Paolo and Douglas’ characters first meet) very intriguing. I haven’t been to an O party and I guess what was shown in the movie is how such a party can go. Can anybody else confirm?

Pinoy PLU Signal: Masseurs, Not Masseuses

2009-08-22T15:47:00.003+08:00

There’s something really sensual about massages. It’s no wonder then that many PLU people would occasionally, if not regularly, have a massage. There’s actually a whole industry that provides massage services that cater specifically to gay men (these gay massage parlors are often named “spas,” even if there are no actual spas in the premises) and there are even a lot of freelancing masseurs that provide home services. Some local gay indie movies that depict the massage industry include Masahista and Heavenly Touch.

Well, here’s one thing I observed: when getting a massage, gay men generally prefer to have a masseur instead of a masseuse while straight men would prefer masseuses if they can help it. Why? well, if you’re going to have somebody else touch your body all over, then one would prefer to have it done by someone you wouldn’t cringe over because of the intimacy. Of course, men, whether gay or straight, can bend this “convention” to suit their needs. For example, I’ve read of straight men asking for a masseur in order to avoid temptation, or the impression that they’re after the “extra service.”

If you happen to peer inside a common room of a spa and see a man getting a massage from a masseur, chances are that that guy is a PLU. I guess this is why I had an encounter at a “legitimate” spa with another customer. I was sleeping after my massage and woke up to find this other client caressing my body. I’ve noticed him before during my massage (in a common room) and I did not give any hint that I was PLU except that I had a masseur. Go figure.

Interesting McDo store murals

2009-08-17T18:16:00.001+08:00

I recently stumbled onto this portfolio photoblog of commercial photographer Jake Verzosa. I also learned then that he was the photographer behind those uber-sexy Bench Blackout ads. Well, I browsed his blog’s recent posts and came across his photos that now grace the walls of McDo stores.

Being a sucker for cute semikal guys, I immediately focused my attention on two such male models on the pictures (among the other good-looking models) and recognized them. One is model Mark Onir and the other is Fil-Am R&B singer DannieBoi (more pictures). Aren’t they cute?

This reminds me that I have yet to know who is the much cuter semikal guy I saw in McDo’s previous store murals. This mural I’m talking about shows three joggers: one is the semikal dude, the other is a good-looking mestizo guy and the last one is a girl. Has anyone seen than mural and possibly know who the guy is? He’s really yummy. Hehehe.

Anyway, if you’re a Bed regular, go back to Jake’s album and try to see if you can spot the male model there that’s often seen in Bed.

Why are IDs required in bathhouses?

2009-08-16T23:02:00.007+08:00

In this year-ago blog post by Trey (aka theTripper), there is an implied side question about the necessity of requiring an ID when going to bathhouses. (That blog post’s main topic is not really about that, but the tangential thought is worth exploring.) I’ve also wondered about that and so I hope this blog post can become a discussion point (especially since a bathhouse owner occasionally reads this blog ).

So, why does one need to present an ID when going to a local bathhouse? And why does one need to sign for a membership? Every bathhouse that I know of in Metro Manila requires membership. Why is that? In Club Bath’s FAQ we have the following Q&As providing clues:

Can I visit The Club anonymously?

No. In order to comply with city ordinances for private clubs we cannot allow our customers to purchase memberships without identifying themselves.

What do you do with the personal information I give you when I purchase a membership to The Club? Will I receive anything in the mail?

The Club is highly respectful of member privacy and we understand the need for discretion. The information you give us is for our records only and is never shared with third parties. You will never receive anything in the mail.

That actually leaves me with more questions. Why does having to visit a bathhouse be in a form of club membership wherein you have to disclose your personal information (as required by the supposed city ordinances)? Local gay dance clubs, gay bars, and gay massage parlors don’t require membership, so what’s so special about bathhouses? I’ve been to a bathhouse outside the country (I’ll talk about that in a future post) and the only requirement was the entrance fee. For ultra-discreet guys, such form of membership is a big turn-off. What does membership really accomplish?

The first possible answer that comes to mind is that the membership is for security purposes. The problem is, I have no idea what the bathhouse needs to be secure about. Does it ensure that the place doesn’t get raided or that prostitution (which is illegal) is avoided? Well, the incident at QP shows that raids are possible, even if ultimately the reason for the raid (suspected prostitution in the case of QP) is baseless.

So what do you think? Does the thought that you have to show your ID and have your personal details stored in the bathhouse’s database scare you?

Update: Check out rudeboy's comment below. It practically answered everything you need to know! And a clarification: I personally have no issues with the ID requirement but I figured that asking it would benefit those who are apprehensive about such things.

PinoyG4M is down

2009-08-13T23:20:00.004+08:00

PinoyG4M.com is one of the sites that came about as a result of the demise of Guys4Men. While I think most G4M refugees were contented to continue on at the conquering site PlanetRomeo (aka GayRomeo), there’s a sizable number of people who hated the PlanetRomeo interface. Thus we have PinoyG4M.com (and other new social networking sites, most of which are based on Ning).

It seems that PinoyG4M managed to capture a good amount of the local PLU audience because they recently ran into hosting problems. Their hosting provided complained because the traffic on the site is causing problems on the server (most sites are usually hosted on shared servers). Their host is suggesting that they go with a dedicated hosting solution. Read the message from Bananafish, the current owner of PinoyG4M, below.

I thank you for your continued support of PinoyG4M.com. It is because of you that PG4M has become the fastest growing GBT community site in the Philippines with almost fourteen thousand registered members.

However, because of the amount of activity the PG4M website generated, our hosting company was no longer able to accommodate hosting the website. I regret to inform you that the site will be on hiatus until we are able to move to a dedicated hosting service. Rest assured all the data in the site will be kept and all member information, photos, forum posts, and messages will not be lost once we transfer to a better hosting server.

The site relaunch will also feature better features and site upgrades, as well as more activities for the site members.

In the meantime, please add PinoyG4M in Facebook and follow @PinoyG4M on Twitter for updates and news on the relaunch of the site.

Again, I apologize for the temporary closing of PinoyG4M.com. The PG4M admins and mods thank you for your continued support for the site and hope to see you again when we open a better PinoyG4M.

—Bananafish, site owner

I got an account at PG4M a few months ago and while it doesn’t fit the particular uses I had with Guys4Men before, I must say that they managed to replicate (in a fashion) most of the features of G4M. The section that I often lurk in is the PG4M forums.

To help raise funds to bring PG4M back up, the admins and owner of PinoyG4M will be holding a fund-raising event this Saturday, August 15 at the Harbour Square at CCP. Check out the event in Facebook. You might also want to read this interview of Retrogod, one of the administrators of PG4M, to learn just a bit more about this fledging PLU social networking site.