::S p U n K y D a i S y::

Monday, September 12, 2005

THE MIKE HANOPOL EXPERIENCE

After my morning run with my dog, Tashi last Saturday, my pregnant sister asked me if I could bring her to her boyfriend's house in Cubao. I tried to get in touch with a couple of friends who lived nearby to accompany me but none of them were available and so I ended up going alone.

Since I was already in Cubao, a place I don't go to very often, I decided to do something I haven't done in a long time: UKAY-UKAY.

And so I parked in one of the Araneta malls, placed my money and my cellphone inside my travel pouch (thanks, Habagat!) and walked to the very busy street of Aurora Blvd and scoured the racks and boxes of every ukay-ukay store I could find. I crossed Edsa and found a few other stores which had nice stuff.

I was going through the racks of this one store when I noticed a guy in a black beret cap with thinning, shoulder length hair. His back was in front of me. He was wearing a white shirt, a pair of jeans, flip flops and he had with him a very cool-looking messenger bag. He turned around and my jaw dropped. Because I could have sworn it was the legendary Mike Hanopol.

[rewind] Just a few weeks ago, I couldn't sleep because when I closed my eyes, Juan Dela Cruz Band's "No Touch" started playing in my head. When I woke up the next morning, the song was still in my head and so as a cure, I downloaded all my favorite songs by the band--"Beep Beep", "Laki sa Layaw", "Titser's Enemy #1", "Balong Malalim", "Himig Natin" and of course, "No Touch". The last time I saw this great group perform was at their reunion concert at the World Trade Center.

So going back to Saturday, I ended up staring at Mike instead of going through clothes. I really don't get starstruck. I mean, I've only asked for the autographs of 2 people in my lifetime: Pol Medina of Pugad Baboy who drew me a very cute cartoon and rock god, Pepe Smith, also from Juan Dela Cruz Band who signed the sheet of paper I handed him with, "Bunny, You rock!" (kileg!). But last Saturday, I was a hairline away from getting a white shirt, going up to Mike Hanopol and asking him to grant me his autograph.

He caught me looking at him so I moved away (kakahiyaaaa!!!). Minutes later, I couldn't find anything I fancied in the store so I left and moved to the another store a few steps away. And lo and behold, there he was again (can you say, meant to be?)! We were both looking at bags but the one he was interested in were hanging from the ceiling. I overheard him talking to the saleladies and they asked him what he did for a living:

Mike: Artist po ako.
Saleslady: Ay sir, kaya pala parang nakikita ko kaya sa tv.

I glanced up, he caught my eye and half-smiled. I nervously smiled back and in a split second, went back to looking at bags. Didn't see anything I liked and left him there.

The half-smile was enough to make this big fan of the ultimate pinoy rock band, Juan Dela Cruz Band--happy.

To tell you the truth, I'm still having doubts if it was him. But I swear, I swear, it was really Mike Hanopol.

Sana next time, si Pepe Smith naman makasalubong ko.

Have a great week, everyone!

Bunny @ Monday, September 12, 2005

about moi

Loves the beach, wishes she had more time and money to travel, recently got hooked to climbing mountains, reads anything she can get her hands on, frustrated writer, adores her 3-year-old Lhasa Apso, Tashi, constantly needs caffeine, ~~wonders when she'll quit smoking~~, and will most likely die due to liver complications from drinking too much ~~(if the cigarettes doesn't get to her lungs first)~~. Can't live without accessories especially big, dangling earrings, shoe freak (aren't we all?), sucker for discovering hole-in-the-wall restaurants, will ingest anything spicy, enjoys giving and receiving massages, addicted to Friends, Sex and the City and CSI, goes gaga over kids, dreams of being alone with Jim Morrison and smoking a joint with Bob Marley. Would love to party with Gwen Stefani, shop with Patricia Field, write poetry with Maya Angelou and have Sting, Nelson Mandela, Mark Twain and Bono over for dinner.

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