I met my husband long before his band went "above the ground", so to speak, from being an underground indie rock band in the late 90s. That is most probably the reason why I don't have "celebrity goggles" when it comes to him. If he tries that rockstar attitude with me, he's gonna get in trouble. Our kids are understandably awed whenever they see him perform on stage or on the telly but, to me, that's just him doing his business and feeding the family. Besides, when he's home, to us he is really just "Dada". Still, it doesn't mean I'm not proud of what he has accomplished. It certainly doesn't make me any less appreciative of the perks (like this and most notably this, just to name a few).
It is comforting to know that he sees the celebrity status he's enjoying as a blessing and an opportunity to do bigger, greater things. He doesn't let it get to his head. You can tell he hasn't because if he did, then he wouldn't be surprised every time someone recognizes him whenever we're out and about.
Usually, strangers in the mall, market, on the street, etc. would do a very obvious double-take after passing him. If they're with friends, they'd say to each other, "Itchyworm o!" or "Uy, Itchyworms!" It's funnier when it's more than 2 people who recognize him so the double-take happens in unison. I've seen people pass him again on purpose just to make sure it is him or just to get another look at him. Some have been bold enough to come up to him for a handshake, an autograph, or a photo-op. I've seen guys do an awkward salute coupled with a "Serrr!" But to all these, my husband simply tries to manage a small wave and a grin because he honestly doesn't know what else to do with the attention. And as everyone who has ever been a fan of someone knows, we don't really know what to do either when faced with a celebrity.
About two years ago, when I had an accident and was confined in Medical City for a week, the nurses and other staff there were noticeably frazzled by his presence. They couldn't help but gush about him being there to my orthopedic surgeon, who only thought my husband looked familiar. "Parang nakita na kita sa TV," was what he said. But upon realizing who my husband is, all my doctor could say to him from that moment on and at each visit was "Buti wala kang gig ngayon?" or "Saan ba kayo may tugtog ngayon?" Apparently, my doctor found it so interesting that his patient is married to a rockstar that he raved about it to his stepdaughter, and that was how he found out that she and her boyfriend are actually friends of mine. Small world.
The type of attention that my husband hates the most is when fans kinda ambush him with "feeling close" questions like "Kamusta na si Jugs?" or "Nandyan na ba si Kelvin?" It rattles him for a bit because he has an awful memory with names and faces of people he doesn't interact with on a daily basis. Sometimes he just gives a quick non-committal reply because he doesn't want to come off as rude. But that's just him on a normal day; polite and accommodating. Too much at times, even when some people seem to intrude into his private space already. That's one of the reasons why I'm not connected to him on Facebook, but that's another story -- which I've actually told right here.
For a few months after the Eraserheads' Final Set wrapped up in 2009, he encountered an unexpected type of attention -- a mix of "Itchywooooorms!" and "Eraserheeeeeaaads!" greets from fans. That year, we spent my birthday weekend in Guimaras. We had stayed in Villa Igang, a quaint little rest house that is so quiet that it felt like an isolated hideaway devoid of any urban influences. That is, until the head caretaker asked my husband, "Kamusta na si Ely?"
As I said, I can hardly find all this attention annoying. It really is more amusing to me as the wife, because I'm usually beside or behind him, so I see all these reactions that he doesn't. It's not only me who's amused by the attention. Our super yaya noticed that it's working to our advantage where we live. From the moment we moved into the community, the guards and the maintenance crew have taken note of where we live because of the rockstar who lives in it. I'm sure they've done the same about the other pads that also house celebrities. Our little boys are enjoying being rockstar spawn, especially since it's mostly the young girls in the neighborhood who are fawning over them.
Sometimes I kid my husband about his popularity not reaching its apex yet because we have yet to get free food or free gas out of it. Well, at least his being there gets us better service most of the time, especially at restaurants and in department stores because they're so eager to please him.
Bottomline is, we are grateful for having a slice of the fleeting and temporary limelight. Each time someone shows they appreciate my husband, it is another "Thank You" that we give back to our Loving Father up above who's got our back all the time. And I guess this is also my belated Happy Father's Day blog post for my everdearest "Caveman" :-) We love you, Dada!
It is comforting to know that he sees the celebrity status he's enjoying as a blessing and an opportunity to do bigger, greater things. He doesn't let it get to his head. You can tell he hasn't because if he did, then he wouldn't be surprised every time someone recognizes him whenever we're out and about.
About two years ago, when I had an accident and was confined in Medical City for a week, the nurses and other staff there were noticeably frazzled by his presence. They couldn't help but gush about him being there to my orthopedic surgeon, who only thought my husband looked familiar. "Parang nakita na kita sa TV," was what he said. But upon realizing who my husband is, all my doctor could say to him from that moment on and at each visit was "Buti wala kang gig ngayon?" or "Saan ba kayo may tugtog ngayon?" Apparently, my doctor found it so interesting that his patient is married to a rockstar that he raved about it to his stepdaughter, and that was how he found out that she and her boyfriend are actually friends of mine. Small world.
The type of attention that my husband hates the most is when fans kinda ambush him with "feeling close" questions like "Kamusta na si Jugs?" or "Nandyan na ba si Kelvin?" It rattles him for a bit because he has an awful memory with names and faces of people he doesn't interact with on a daily basis. Sometimes he just gives a quick non-committal reply because he doesn't want to come off as rude. But that's just him on a normal day; polite and accommodating. Too much at times, even when some people seem to intrude into his private space already. That's one of the reasons why I'm not connected to him on Facebook, but that's another story -- which I've actually told right here.
For a few months after the Eraserheads' Final Set wrapped up in 2009, he encountered an unexpected type of attention -- a mix of "Itchywooooorms!" and "Eraserheeeeeaaads!" greets from fans. That year, we spent my birthday weekend in Guimaras. We had stayed in Villa Igang, a quaint little rest house that is so quiet that it felt like an isolated hideaway devoid of any urban influences. That is, until the head caretaker asked my husband, "Kamusta na si Ely?"
As I said, I can hardly find all this attention annoying. It really is more amusing to me as the wife, because I'm usually beside or behind him, so I see all these reactions that he doesn't. It's not only me who's amused by the attention. Our super yaya noticed that it's working to our advantage where we live. From the moment we moved into the community, the guards and the maintenance crew have taken note of where we live because of the rockstar who lives in it. I'm sure they've done the same about the other pads that also house celebrities. Our little boys are enjoying being rockstar spawn, especially since it's mostly the young girls in the neighborhood who are fawning over them.
Sometimes I kid my husband about his popularity not reaching its apex yet because we have yet to get free food or free gas out of it. Well, at least his being there gets us better service most of the time, especially at restaurants and in department stores because they're so eager to please him.
Bottomline is, we are grateful for having a slice of the fleeting and temporary limelight. Each time someone shows they appreciate my husband, it is another "Thank You" that we give back to our Loving Father up above who's got our back all the time. And I guess this is also my belated Happy Father's Day blog post for my everdearest "Caveman" :-) We love you, Dada!
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