Testosterone Friday: Unveiling of Playboy Magazine’s May Issue

Got an invite from Jeman Villanueva of Playboy Magazine (Philippines), a friend, last May 5 about the unveiling of their May issue with Aiza Marquez as celebrity cover girl. I was informed that they feature a celebrity only once (or was it twice?) a year. Since I didn’t plan to watch a movie on that Friday evening, May 9, I RSVP-ed. Part of the plan was that I could invite some of my friends so long as they can blog/Multiply about it. That was easy.

In search of my entourage (yeah, right), I emailed the core photography group in the office. Justin, Topeng, Jon (in a flash), Reg and Gerard said yes. Hoping to fill out the rest of fifteen slots I was given with, I invited the kids. Eric, Mat, Keith, Neil, Nikko, Wigs, JZ and Hey said yes. The fifteenth happened to be an officemate from Equitable Bank but he was a no-show. Too bad for him and for Gerard and JZ.

Then last Friday, at 7pm, Topeng, Justin and I were already on our way to A.Venue in Makati Ave. Since Jeman (I think I’m the only one who still calls him Jesse) warned us that the bar only offers food samplers, we headed to Rufo’s which serves one of the best beef tapa in the metro for dinner. Jon and Reg followed suit. We already had a bottle of San Mig Light then. One commented that it’s for “pampalakas ng loob”.

At 8:45pm, we were at the entrance of Zenses Neo-Shanghai Cuisine. Miss Aiza Marquez was having an interview there with ABS-CBN’s Mario Dumaual. DLSRers Jon, Reg, Topeng and Justin started to unpack their tools as their instincts commanded. The kids were on the other side, stunned as I was.

The whole shebang lasted for another fifteen minutes. That’s the time when everybody had to spot a table upstairs. We opted to get the table at the terrace and there we planted our bags and other stuff. A moment later, Miss Aiza positioned her self on top of a giant tarpauline that extends down to the middle stairs. The actual unveiling was quick. But the photo session was not. It seemed like everybody aimed to get a Facebook picture with the bunnies and Miss Aiza herself. That, of course, didn’t exclude me.

Drinks were everywhere and on the house. I ordered a glass of Blue Hawaiian first which was not that kiddie. Then a beer and three shots of the bar’s famous Sweater. It was served with a dry ice-like effect on top and you have to wait for it to vanish before gulping the drink down. Finger food came in at the right time. It was a plate of dimsum (I never imagined it for “pulutan” but it worked) and servings of spicy meat that looked like nuggets to me.

There was an autograph signing session with Miss Aiza and Playmate Suan Javinez (which made the night hotter or was it the drinks?). Playboy Philippines provided a postcard-like version of the cover which came in handy. The rest of the evening was a photographer’s delight, balancing out moments of getting tipsy and having a nice angle of the subjects.

How about the kids? They had their fix and let me spill some of it. Mat was the first to score by getting the first photo with the bunnies and Miss Aiza. After my turn, of course. Eric had the longest time with the girls because Topeng was still mixing his camera configs. Same went with Wigs and Nikko. Eric was all smiles when Miss Aiza mentioned that he looked like Christian Bautista. He’s celebrating his birthday the next day so he acted as if it was his party. I had another picture with Miss Aiza on which Eric uttered with “the hands!” It was a slice of envy as he confided that Miss Aiza is his long-time crush. Everything was smooth sailing until silent Keith turned the tides and made his killer moves. It was another “the hands” shot which got everybody jealous and found their way to have a similar shot. Talking about the kids at play.

When Miss Aiza left at 11:30pm, my whole entourage also left and said goodbye to Jeman/Jesse. We had fun and we’re rolling our sleeves for the next leg (no pun intended). To Playboy Philippines, kudos and thank you for a testosterone night of swell fun. Always remember that we are just a text away.

More pics here.