adventures in neverland

there's a new boy in the band. young, fresh, fabulously gorgeous and the current title holder of mr. olive-c, a sort of nationwide and campus-wide search for the young man and woman that will represent the product. nice, well-mannered, gentle, always smiling, ryan paul artienda has a very bright future in the entertainment industry if he plays his cards right. ryan recently joined men of manila -- the newest boy band to rock the country -- to replace one member who decided it was not in his destiny to be a total entertainer. his loss, ryan's gain. what can we say? luck indeed smiles to those who are humble, and ryan, even at first meeting, emanates the humility that is so lacking in today's generation, especially those who think, rightfully or wrongly, that they're blessed with good looks. ugh! but seventeen year-old ryan, born september twenty seven nineteen ninety six, is still ambivalent about fame. while he says he wants to be in the entertainment business, ...

Twenty-year old Arcel Delgado is the coolest member of Men of Manila, with a ready smile, a handshake and a conversation starter, traits he developed as a budding politician in their hometown of Zambales. He also comes from a family of politicians, starting from his grandparents down to his dad, that’s why mingling with all kinds of people is almost second nature to him. Arcel is the band's Mr. Friendship. Or Mr. Congeniality.  The rest of the group could learn a thing or two from him on how to make friends and influence people. And be humble too. He also wears too many hats. He had served as Sangguniang Kabataan chairman, modeled for various brands, joined a model search, and most recently, finished his nursing course at the Far Eastern University. He plans to take the board examination in November this year. Now, he wants to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a professional singer through Men of Manila. Arcel joined the boy b...

We all have our own sob stories on Christmas.  But Kurt Batacan’s so painful that it inspired him to swear that it will never happen again. It reminds everyone of the strong-willed Scarlett O’Hara’s promise in the classic drama Gone With The Wind: “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!” Just like a typical Filipino middle-class family, Kurt's family celebrates Christmas Eve with a feast: roasted pork or lechon, ham, among other favorites. He would also whip up his signature dish shrimp thermidor, while his brother prepares his own baked oysters. This is the kind of Christmas celebration that he has grown up with. But there was one Christmas, when he was 12, when the celebration turned simple. His father, who runs his own construction business, was not paid for a project just when Christmas was approaching. Because there was not much money, the family shared a dinner of corned beef and loaf bread sprinkled with milk and Milo (a chocolate powde...

Yano Gaspari is cursed. But in a good way. The half-Italian young guy -- who is in the cusp of manhood -- is born to perform. His mother has traveled the world performing as a singer on the stage. It’s no surprise then that Yano, with cherubic looks and a perpetual tan, can’t shake off the urge to perform, even forming his own band in Cavite just so he can, well, sing in public. Born and raised in Italy, Yano came home to the Philippines when he was 12 years old to pursue his studies. While his Filipina mother, who is still working in Italy, had taught him Filipino values at home, fed him Filipino food and taught him how to speak the local language, Yano still couldn’t help but be shocked when he first arrived in his mother’s home land. His father, by the way, is Italian. “When I came home, I knew very little Filipino and English. So I communicated mostly by sign language,” Yano says. “Even if my mom had exposed me to the ways of the Filipinos, I still exp...

clark merced is a rara avis.  tall, lean, handsome, with milky white complexion that most dark-to-brown-skinned filipinos would die for (that’s why whitening lotions are a hit in the country), clark does not consider himself as handsome at all, nor does he capitalize on his movie star looks to collect girlfriends as though they’re trophies unlike most young men. in fact, at twenty-two, clark does not have a girlfriend. and even before that, when he was still in school. that’s because he channeled all his energy, passion and time on his studies. the hard work and sacrifices paid off. he is now a certified nurse who passed the licensure examination recently.  with a towering height – all of six feet and one inch – the soft-spoken young man from davao city who is every inch a gentleman is known as the gentle giant in the band. so how did this gentle soul – who loves reading books – end up in the dog-eat-dog world of showbiz? “my uncl...