All About "Sabit"

You've seen that action done in countless movies and shows. It is the quintessential image of the stripper, male or female. "Magic Mike" made you curious to experience the same thing in Manila. You've wanted to do it. But then, you're just too afraid or too shy or too cash-strapped to even try. What's that action called in the local scene?

Those lucky dollar bills

Sabit.

But, wait. Doesn't the word "sabit" mean the following? 

Sabit 1: Hang clothes to dry
Sabit 2: Hang on to railings of jeepney's rear
Sabit 3 (or Sandara's "Walang Sabit"): Tangle-free hair

In the gay bar industry though, "sabit" gets a whole new meaning. There are no clothes (literally), no jeepneys, and no Sandaras (Koreans abound though). Magsabit ng pera involves tucking cash into the waistband of the macho dancer's bikini/underwear/cycling shorts as he is dancing on-stage or once a dancer approaches you. 

Click below to view full picture above and read more about "sabit":

A New Year

I haven't updated my blog for the longest time. That's obvious. I just re-opened my blog and saw a lot of comments I needed to publish. Thank you again.

But before I head back to my new "thing" in the New city, I will be posting a few blog entries. Anything you want to know? Share your thoughts or questions in the comment section, and let me try to answer or write full blog posts about them.

(PS: I've finished and posted an entry that I started to write 3-4 months ago. The entry is backdated.)


GB Goer
Learn more: Lessons from Gay Bars in Manila
http://machosandhostos.blogspot.com/
email: char.affairs@gmail.com
twitter: @gbgoer

Now You Nose

Tomas* has become one of the popular models at the gay bar he worked for, named after a lifelike wooden carving. A typical gay bar macho dancer, he has transferred from various establishments over the past couple of years. He only had a few regular customers in those previous bars. Yet, he only struck gold at the last bar he worked for. 

Only a few know the secret to his success. Unless you've really observed him before and after his latest transfer... or transformation. 

Tomas already looked promising before. Despite being a typical probinsyano lad (you could tell from his strong accent), he's tall and fair-skinned. Before building up his chest and shoulders, he already had a lean frame, but on the skinny side. But what kept him from truly standing out among his co-workers was his face; he looked ordinary. His high cheekbones or sculptured jawline were not enough to make him look like a top gay bar model.

Click below to read more:

What's Sulit, Mama?

Humiga na ako sa maliit na kama sa ikalawang palapag ng massage parlor. Parang walang ibang customer dahil medyo tahimik. O siguro malakas lang ang background music mula sa speaker. Hindi spa, Zen-ish relaxing music ang tugtog. Love Radio ata, at isang 90s Tagalong love song ang pinapatugtog. Parang nasa gay bar lang din ako, ngunit sa gabing iyon, sa massage parlor o sha-sha ako nagdesisyong magpunta.

Inantay kong dumating ang napili kong si Andrew*. Sa walong sha-sha boys na available noong gabing yun, isa na siya sa mga papasa na sa aking standards, na binabaan ko na noong gabing iyon. Payat, moreno, 5"6', spikey hair. Pwede na nga ito, kumpara sa mga ilang mestizohing nauupo ko sa macho dancing gay bar. 

Nang pumasok siya sa maliit na silid, hininaan na niya ang ilaw. Hinubad niya ang t-shirt nyang saplot. Tinanggal ang sapatos at medyas. Binaba na ang pantalon. Lumuhod na siya sa paanan ko, habang ako'y nakadapa't nakapikit. Narinig ko na lang ang squirt-squirt ng bote ng cheap milky lotion sa kamay nya, at sinimulan na ang masahe.

(medyo NSFW ang susunod na kwento. slight lang.)

The Manila Gay Bar Guide: Part 3

(continued from Manila Gay Bar Guide Part 2)

The Quezon City Macho Dancing Gay Bars

For those staying in Makati and who are willing to travel a few kilometers up north to experience the numerous macho dancing gay bars there, then I recommend visiting a few macho dancing bars in the Quezon City area. There are quite a number of macho dancer gay bars in this area, ranging from the bigger, more established, popular ones to the small seedy gay bars in the side streets. You will see the location of these bars in the map below.

To get to Quezon City from Makati, I recommend passing through EDSA, which is the main thoroughfare that connects the major cities of Metro Manila (see brief explanation from Part 1).

A taxi ride from Makati City to Quezon City (QC) will take around 40 minutes on a week night 10-11PM traffic, even if the distance is just 5 miles or 8 kilometers away. Otherwise, it's just 15 to 20 minutes past 1 AM (Pinoys, correct me if I am wrong). Just because of the distance and the traffic to get there, the bars in this area are ideal to visit if you are spending the weekend or more than a week in Manila.

Just like in the previous entry, let me get into detail how to get to those bars in Quezon City. There are two areas with gay bars. One is in the Timog (pronounced TEE-mohg) Avenue area, while another is in Aurora Boulevard. Let me start with the area with the most popular bars:

It's More Fun in the Philippines!

The Department of Tourism of the Philippines recently launched their new campaign on "It's More Fun in The Philippines" (You can learn more by clicking the link here). Since its start last January 6 2012, the campaign has gone viral over social networks and blogs, with numerous Filipinos sharing their own reasons on why Philippines can be a premier destination due to its places made more fun by its fun Pinoy people. Even my friend Rocky has created his own versions (memes) of the campaign for one of Manila's gay clubs (See link of his blog here). 

So how are gay bars more fun in the Philippines?  

Runways. More fun in the Philippines

Night Photo by http://shootingatnight.blogspot.com

Blind dates. More fun in the Philippines 

You get to choose your guy. But you get to pay for your date.

Gratitude (or gratuity or gratuitous showing). More fun in the Philippines

Thousand peso bills go a long way.

Stage Plays. More fun in the Philippines.

A half-naked man is always at the center of the stage.

Finding love. More fun in the Philippines

For matronas, lonely gay guys, bar girls and especially, the #1 tourists: Korean women

Just a few notes:

1. I am NOT promoting sex tourism. "Off-ing" the men or taking them out of the bar is very expensive, to restrain the customers. Some bars don't allow it at all. Besides, a lot of the guys working here don't see themselves as sex workers (they're only working there as entertainers).

2. The ones shown above are what we can claim as more fun in the Philippines. I've tried to consider others but failed. For example, "angry birds" can be fun in the Philippines, but it's more fun in the more risque gogo bars of Bangkok and in some cities around the world. Manila does not even have imitation sex on stage, sorry.  

What other ideas do you have? Is it really more fun in the gay bars of the Philippines? 

GB Goer
Learn more: Lessons from Gay Bars in Manila
http://machosandhostos.blogspot.com/
email: char.affairs@gmail.com
twitter: @gbgoer

The Manila Gay Bar Guide: Part 2

(continued from Part 1: Introduction)

The Macho Dancing Gay Bars at the Pasay-Paranaque-Manila City areas

For those staying in Makati City, the best bars I can recommend due to its proximity to the city are those located in the cities of Pasay (pronounced PAH-sai, not PAH-sei) and Paranaque (pronounced Pah-ran-NYAH-keh, not Pah-rah-nah-cue like bar-be-cue). It takes around 15 to 20 minutes without heavy traffic from Makati to get to these cities. 

If you take a look at the map below, you can locate where Makati City is and the areas where the most popular gay bars are.

Let me then get into detail how to get to those bars in the map. Let's start with the closest to Makati.

The Manila Gay Bar Guide: Part 1

This week, to commemorate this blog's 1st year anniversary and to give a little holiday treat, I will finally feature my version of the Manila Gay Bar Guide. I've been planning to do this since September, after some conversations with a few foreigner visitors. But when I started creating this post, I realized that this task will require much effort. 

I am writing this with foreigner visitors in mind, as they are the most clueless about the gay bars in Manila. Local gay bar goers can also use this, but you guys would just have to adapt the information that's in this series of posts. Part 1 will mostly be about Introduction to Metro Manila, while Parts 2 and 3 will each focus on the two areas where most gay bars are located and how to get there. Insider information about those bars will be out of scope for this guide. 

Hope you find this guide useful in getting around Metro Manila to reach your target gay bar. 

All GB Goer Wants for Christmas

Dear Santa,

Hi. How are you? It's me, GB Goer. You don't know me? Maybe because I only started writing to you this year. Heck, my persona was only created just a few days before the end of 2010.

But check your lists again. I may be on your "nice" list. I wasn't that naughty the past year. Yes, I may have been going to the gay bars since last year, but both of us know I was well-behaved with the macho dancers. You can even ask the ____ number of men I've met just this year. Yes, ganun karami, and nope, I don't get affected nor offended when you say "Ho, ho, ho." Promise, those men will say something nice about me.

Because I was more good than bad this year, can I still ask for my Christmas wishes? Don't worry, my list is not that long, unlike some of my unedited, drawn-out, explanatory blog posts. Anyway, here goes. 

Gay Bar Advice: Just Say No

"Natatakot akong magpunta sa gay bar kasi hindi ko alam kung ano ang gagawin ko sa loob. Lalo na't kung may hingiin sa akin at hindi ko alam kung paano ako tatanggi. (I am afraid in going to the gay bar because I don't know what to do inside. Especially if something is asked from me and I wouldn't know how to refuse). " 

"Minsan nagpunta ako sa gay bar, at napilitan ako magbigay kasi nahihiya akong magsabi na ayaw ko yun, hindi ko gusto yun. (Once in the gay bar, I was forced into something because I was too reluctant to say that I really didn't want that)."

When I read revelations like these from email senders, I can sense their worries in going to the gay bar. These can be money matters: worried about not having enough money or worried about losing all your money to one guy (parang lang casino, but isn't love just one big gamble? chos). It can also be guy matters: worried about choosing the wrong guy or worried about being thrown out the bar for not tabling a guy (no, this does not happen).  

I started going to the gay bars with the same feeling of being not in control. A stranger would approach me inside the dark bar, and I wouldn't know what to do. As I wonder what the proper response should be in certain situations, I worried I couldn't refuse anything this stranger would offer. Thus, I would always just say yes with anything they pushed me. Looking back, the fear I felt back was actually coming from a feeling of powerlessness.

But a gay bar goer shouldn't feel powerless. On the contrary, he or she has power of what would happen in the bar. It includes the power to say No.

For illustration purpose only, and not misheard lyrics.

So all you single ladies (and bekis), here are some examples of when to decline offers and tips on how to say it.

Read more:

The Annual Mr. Gay Bar Title Competition

On a regular gay bar night, you always hear the gay bar DJ introduce some particular macho dancer onstage: "Up next is the 2010 Mr. Hot-Dream-God-Papa-Bird-King." And as you hear that single title, you turn your attention to whoever is coming next onstage. You ask yourself how this unique macho dancer might look like. As the song's first lines are played, your eyes are then expecting to see the most handsome, most muscular, and most talented macho dancer in that bar.  

Once you see the Mr. Gay Bar for 2011, you then ask yourself, how did HE win? 

It's already December, and to cap off the end of the year, most big gay bars would hold one of their biggest "Big Nights" (event) of the year. This event is the annual Search for the Mr. Gay Bar 20xx, a pageant held among the bar's existing macho dancers. This is supposedly the most prestigious title any macho dancer can hold, especially if the winner gets to carry the name of the bar for a year (as part of his resume for a future corporate job also?).  

"It's an honor", as the macho dancers say. "Makikilala ka talaga ng mga customer. Kahit sa mga first timer na customer, malalaman nilang ikaw ang pinaka sikat dahil may titulo ka."

So what happens behind these annual competitions? 

Anonymous Text Messages

Have you ever gotten a text message like this from an unknown number:

Niloloko ka lang niyang si Roman (or any other name for your macho dancer).

Your first reaction: Intriguing, right?

Then lots of questions will start to fill your head. From whom did this text come from? Is what this text message saying true? How did that texter know I am Roman's regular guest? And how the heck did that texter get my number? Then that might just mean... is my number being broadcasted and passed around by the macho dancers in the gay bar? Am I that in demand among hot men?

Before feeling all pretty with this "haba ng hair" moment, let me give you some context as to where this text message may actually come from. 

Pera Padala

Send your love with Western Union. Sa Cebuana, sigurado ka.

Love and Trust -- Common themes of money transfer services.

All along I thought that use of those money transfer services were limited to OFWs and their families. Or only those breadwinners from the provinces working in Manila to send money to their loved ones back home. Or anyone just needing to send payment for some debt or favor to a trusted friend in another location.

But nope, pera padala (literally, "money send/transfer") works too for gay bar customers and their macho dancer men.

The traditional "which restaurant or mall do we meet so that I can give you the money?" has been replaced by "which branch do you want me to send the money?" Of course, customers would like to personally meet up with their macho dancers, so that aside from giving them the "help", they can also see them in normal clothes under normal daylight or florescent light outside of the bar's premises. But if the macho dancer lives far and needs the money urgently, then the customer has to resort to more modern means of sending help.

Interview with a Macho Dancer: Behind The Scenes

Urgent daw, ayon sa paksa ng kanyang email. Akala ko kung ano ang ninais ni Jofti, isang freelance writer, sa kanyang pabor. Kailangan daw niya mag-interview ng isang macho dancer, para sa isusulat nya sa isang online magazine. Tinanong din niya kung may kakilala rin daw akong contacts na maaaring ipasa sa kanya. 

Natawa naman ako dahil ako talaga ang naisip nyang lapitan para humingi ng tulong. Bugaw ba ng MD? Haha. Ngunit, pumayag naman akong tulungan siya. 

Reply ko sa kanya: "Sige, samahan pa kita." Kung magpapasa lang ako sa kanya ng random contact at address ng bar para puntahan nya, natakot naman ako kung saang lumalop ng Maynila siya mapadpad, bilang isang babaeng hindi pa nakakapasok sa isang gay bar. Saka para rin maging komportable ang macho dancer na ibahagi ang kwento sa isang hindi nya kilala. 

Ang tanong, sino naman ang maaari niyang interview-hin? 

A Gay Bar Goer's Hiatus

Hiatus [ha-yay-tus]: a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process (New Oxford American Dictionary) 

"Titigil muna ako sa pagpunta sa gay bar (I'll stop going to the gay bar for a while)," I texted my gay bar going friends, Mary and Ringo. 

It was around this time last year, first week of November. It wasn't the first time I told someone that I'd take a break from something I loved doing for the past year. Three months prior, I told my regular macho dancer that I'd stop going to his gay bar. 

"Bakit naman? (Why?)," my partner macho dancer asked me. 

"Paalis-alis ako ng bansa. Mahihirapan akong magpunta nang madalas (I'd be flying in and out of the country. It would be difficult for me to keep going to the bar)" was my alibi. 

"Pero magkikita naman tayo? (But we'll still see each other?)" 

"Oo, pero sa labas lang ng bar. (Yes, but outside)."

I didn't want to tell him that going to the gay bar was draining on my finances. I didn't want to admit that supporting him in his bar was getting more difficult, especially after volunteering to give him a monthly allowance. I was stupidly in-love then, and I thought that the only thing that would make him love me back was that "support."

With him, I was tired financially, and I wanted to stop. As weeks went by, I eventually "broke up" with him, citing difficulties in keeping up with the relationship. It was a good, clean break up from the relationship and the support. What I didn't admit that I was going to another gay bar with my friends, and I wanted to spend more time, and more money, in that bar.

I eventually found a new guy in that new bar. I fell very much in love with the hosto "Air", who  eventually left me for another bar girl (and whom I have written much about in previous posts). Because I was still emotionally involved with him despite not being financially involved, as learning from my previous relationship, we had a very bad break up around end-October. 

That was when I texted my gay bar going friends, Mary and Ringo, that I'd stop going to the gay bars.  Just like my previous MD partner, they also asked why.

Lots of reasons are given by regular gay bar goers why they'd temporarily stop going to the bar. Working abroad is one. Being busy with work is another, more frequent response. Finding another gay bar or another macho dancer is another reason, which these gay bar goers don't usually admit. Or just like my friend Mary nowadays, they enjoyed living the "normal" non-gay bar centered life again. 

But for me, I was just tired. Both financially and emotionally. 

I stopped to focus on my work, which I had neglected a bit, months prior. I stopped because I wanted to re-earn the money that I seemingly lost for months already. I stopped because I wanted to let my heart rest, after the roller coaster of emotions felt for these men. 

And so, for a month, my weekend nights were only spent at home or at other more wholesome gimmicks. I stopped receiving the frequent "good am, pauwi na ako" or "good pm, kakagising ko lang" text messages. I enjoyed shopping for myself, which I haven't done for ages since I started going to the bar. I even texted Mary back then when I was in Singapore that it felt so liberating to go back to Manila without thinking of what pasalubong to bring home to a guy.  

Pero, hindi nagtagal...

Before that month ended, my gay friends, Mary and Ringo wanted to see another gay bar which we haven't visited before. Of course, not having been inside that bar, I was also very much curious. At least it was another new experience for all of us. 

For me, it was a perfect time to restart, in a completely new setting, with a completely new set of boys. Malay mo, I was thinking that I would meet that perfect macho dancer this time who would not tire me financially or emotionally. Physically tire me? Pwede!. 

And from then on, my November hiatus ended. I continued going to that bar even further, without thinking much if I'd tire eventually of throwing away money to a guy I fell head over heels for. To keep myself from doing so, however, at the start of my return, I decided not to get too much involved with these guys already. 

Gay bar goers undergo their own hiatus in their lifetime. My friend Ringo is currently on his 3rd or 4th hiatus since he started going to the gay bar last year; his reasons are all shallow (kidding, Ringo). My friend Mary has stopped going to gay bars altogether for six months already, after a hiatus at the middle of this year. For that, congrats to her for graduating.

As for me, I don't know when my next hiatus will be. I keep telling my friends that I'd slow down para magtipid. Still I eventually find myself visiting our favorite gay bar, weekend after weekend, out of habit (Slow down ba talaga yan? asked usually by Mary). But I strongly feel that my next hiatus will arrive soon. Not because I will get tired like the previous one, but perhaps because I am already getting a bit bored. Just slightly.

GB Goer
Learn more: Lessons from Gay Bars in Manila
http://machosandhostos.blogspot.com/
email: char.affairs@gmail.com
twitter: @gbgoer

Top Stares of Macho Dancers in Gay Bars

Much have been said about the eye contact among gays. Like what I read from Simply Manila way back, on how to get someone's attention by making eye contact. Or how to spot gays or bisexuals from Manila Gay Guy, just by the so-called "deep eye contact." It happens quite a lot in gay clubs, where almost everyone in the club tries to look for their next trick just by staring, and hoping that their prospect stares back.  

Then there is the macho dancing gay bar. A feast for the gay guy's eyes. Where it's not illegal or shameful to stare at half-naked torsos or semi-erect bulges or full-frontal nudity. 

But what if the macho dancer looks back? He sees you looking at him as you try to undress him even more or imagine him how he looks like in bed, just with your eyes. His eyes lock in and focus on you. Exciting? Just like in your favorite cum shot where the actor looks lustfully into the camera after a big load. 

In the gay bar, we do get a lot of stares from macho dancers, mostly from those we do not know or got to know once before. It's not just limited to the seductive looks they give on-stage. It can be a simple "can you see me" look that they give when they're waiting at the far end of the bar as you're in your table and trying to see at the distance who among the macho dancers are available to be "tabled" beside you. 

And when they catch you staring, with their penetrating eyes, these men look back with a lingering stare, seeming as if they want to devour you as their next victim that night or so forth. Sounds familiar, especially with this weekend's fright night theme?

Thus, for this blog post, I am compiling the top stares and looks that gay bar customers can get inside the gay bar at night. And In keeping with the Halloween theme, I decided to depict these various looks using photos of whom I think are the best at that lingering stare: vampires. Or at least, the handsome actors who are part of vampire TV shows or movies, particularly the more recent ones which are growing in popularity.   

So, to show you how a macho dancer can look at you inside the gay bar at night, I present the various vampires of recent TV shows or movies:

Signs of a Newbie Macho Dancer

(Or the opposite: Signs that a Macho Dancer is NOT New in the Industry)

A question that's asked to a tabled macho dancer: How long have you been working as a macho dancer?

I don't know why, but for some reason, macho dancers want to give that aura to their customers that they're new in the business. Either they claim that this was their first time in this job. Or that particular bar was the first bar they entered in. Or that they say they're new in that particular bar, like 2-4 months or always less than a year (but don't mention that they've worked in other bars before). 

Lolobelles, retire na po.

Would customers not like them if they knew that the guy has been a macho dancer since he was in his teen years? Is there a "turned off" factor when we customers find out that they're not new in the industry anymore?

I don't think so. But maybe it's because there's a perception that older gay guys like fresh young meat, and not over-the-hill dancers in their late 20s. Or that virgin gay bar goers, girls and gays alike, would prefer tabling someone also new in the industry, for fear of being manipulated in their chosen guy's hands. 

Perhaps there are those who mind and those who don't. Matter of preference. 

To spot a macho dancer who has been in the business for quite some time (years of experience plus number of bars he has worked in previously) can be easy for a regular gay bar goer. The frequent customer can determine if the newly employed dancer in his favorite bar has had macho dancing experience before, just by the way the guy acts. That customer can also spot a very fresh newbie macho dancer, especially once that dancer steps on the stage to perform.

Here are the signs that a macho dancer is new in the industry or is just claiming that he's new (ie. working in the industry for a long time now) -- or the bagong-bago vs the bagong-lipat:

Selos Factor

Oh, the games people play.

Jimmy was surprised why he was not chosen by Rhey.

The 24 year old macho dancer has been sitting with one of the walk-in lady customers, when he saw one of his regulars, Rhey, a 42 year old gay guy, enter the bar. 

Jimmy wondered. It was a weekday night, and that particular regular customer would only go on weekend nights. Also, Rhey didn't text him earlier that he'd be arriving. Come to think of it, he wondered, Rhey hasn't been texting him for a few days now.

Jimmy glanced where Rhey would be sitting. A few tables away. Good, far from where he is at. When Rhey scanned the room, Jimmy grabbed his beer, slouched on the couch, and averted his gaze. I hope Rhey wouldn't see me beside another customer, Jimmy thought.

Rhey has been that gay bar's customer for some months now. He's been going around the macho dancing gay bar circuit for years, and in every bar he's been to, he has had at least one dancer he became serious with. He has already asked two dancers before to stop working with a monthly allowance (known as "binahay" / "housed"). In the previous bar he used to frequent, he already gave close to P100K to the boy he got enamored with. Too bad, that boy left him for another customer, a woman in her late 30s who also proposed marriage. Heartbroken, Rhey transferred to a new bar and saw someone he knew he'd fall for. 

Jimmy was his type -- fair-skinned and boyish-looking, the types who join TV reality show contests as  skinny tambay boys, but with the right clothes, the right haircut, the right weight, the right smile, transform into matinee idols. 

The first time Rhey tabled Jimmy a couple of months ago, he knew he was smitten. They've been exchanging text messages once in a while, and the more Rhey got to know Jimmy, the more he got hooked. Rhey wanted them to have something more than the typical customer-MD relationship.

Thus, Rhey made sure Jimmy knew of his richness and power. He'd always buy Jimmy six to ten drinks in every visit. He made sure that Jimmy wouldn't get a tip lower than P1,500. He has even dangled the idea of buying a motorcycle for Jimmy, which made the macho dancer's eyes widen. 

That's why a few days ago, when Rhey asked Jimmy to spend a night with him in his condo, he wondered why Jimmy's reply was "Sorry, di ako pwede. May lakad ako sa gabing yun. (Sorry, I am not available. I have another thing that night)." 

Rhey insisted, and asked if they can reschedule. What Rhey got was another excuse, a lame one in his mind. They didn't exchange messages for a few days or nights after. Why Jimmy didn't even text back, Rhey just thought the macho dancer would just forget him for another customer. 

All that time, he was thinking of a simple plan to win Jimmy. Why not make him jealous? Rhey thought. 

That Inggitera Look

It was like a scene straight out of a cheap teleserye.

This line was among the hundreds of lines that stood out from the highest box-office Filipino film, "No Other Woman." For those who haven't watched the movie, the story is about a guy being torn between his wife and his I'm-not-a-mistress mistress. 

The movie's charm comes from the catty exchanges between these two equally stunning, equally rich (nouveau or old-money), equally fierce, equally palaban women. Before this film, the confrontation scenes of warring women in local cinemas or TV shows were often depicted with a tirade of insults, that leads to uncivilized sampalan, leading to sabunutan, ending with the lead actor separating the two jealous women. This movie showed that backhanded compliments, veiled insults, raised-eyebrow parinigs and bitchy one-liners give more powerful emotional blows than multiple slaps on the face.

Ironic, isn't it, that the line above was said by well-off characters who looked down upon confrontation scenes depicted in local soap operas, even if the movie from where the line came from was itself just like an extended local teleserye?

And where tall, dark and handsome men are involved, do confrontation among jealous women also occur? 

Where else, but in a macho dancing gay bar. But perhaps, not the extereme sabunutans and sampalans among the customers and these men's real wives. It can be as subtle as one look. Just one look that seems to be lifted straight out of any cheap teleserye.

And what I saw in the gay bar a few weekends ago, almost around the same time as the movie's opening weekend, was a perfect example. 

Songs in a Gay Bar: Pinoy Band Love Songs

Last weekend, I decided to forego my usual gay-bar going night out and do something more wholesome with my ex-gaybar-going friend, Mary. No, we didn't go to church and confessed one year of lusting after various macho dancers. And if we did, what if the priest instructed me for my penance to pray one Hail Mary for each macho dancer I've tabled? In that case, I would have finished an entire rosary... wait, hindi pa pala aabot.

So we went videoke-singing, and not in those KTVs where customers can also get hostesses to join them in their group. 

In the middle of our singing session, I got surprised about myself when I tried to remember the title of one particular song I wanted to sing. I knew who the singer was, but I couldn't recall any of the song's phrases nor its melody. So I texted a friend for a favor: 

"Rico*, favor. Pwedeng paki hanap yung isang kanta ni Eric Santos? First single nya ata. Kung hindi mo makita, punta ka sa blog ko. Nandoon sa post abt OPM Love Songs (Can you search for this song by Erik Santos? It was one of his first singles. If you can't find it, go to my blog, then look at the post about OPM Love Songs)."  

It seemed to be a silly favor at first. But that was when I realized, shucks, why did I want to sing something that I heard in a gay bar. After going through the repertoire of songs we played in the videoke place, I also realized that a lot of those songs we chose are those we heard in the gay bar. Kahit wala na kami sa gay bar, mga kanta pa rin ng gay bar ang naririnig (at kinakanta) namin.