Saturday, May 27, 2006

people i admire most... #2



She called for a pre-production meeting at eight in the evening, Good Friday of 2003. And I said yes. An hour before the meeting, she cancelled because she got tired from the day's work. I heard they shot two houses that day.

It was after office hours, it was a holiday, and yes we were in Boracay Island.

I was introduced to her about a week before that. I told my friend (who is her friend also) that I am very interested in any position in her magazine. I was styling for some shoots (major shoots! ugh!) in another magazine during that time. She told me that we would try it out first for a month before deciding if I really am ready for the job. I agreed. Three weeks later, she called me saying that I have to decide whether I want to be with the group or not. The magazine that she started became my home until now-Real Living.

She was my first editor-in-chief. My mother in the publishing business. And in everything in our little nook in the office, she meant business. Everything ran within a system. In their proper order until all of us became a team. In which the system she imposed became second nature.

She taught me how to prance around the industry, made me understand how things should be done, taught me to be firm during rough times and patient when being tried. She taught me how to say 'No' to protect myself. She made me realize that amidst everything, I am working to better myself too.

Yet outside of work, her kind of fun is most surprising. Surely, she got to know the meaning of fun early in life and continued to spell it with much wisdom and openness. Bring her almost anywhere, even those places she never got to enter, and give her five minutes to acclimatise and you can leave her alone painting the entire club red. Upon driving home, no amount of alcohol can wash sense off her.

No nonsense boss commanding respect all the time (to a lot, fear), one of the few (and I mean it!) girls I find sexy, gifted with wit and humor spiced with intelligent sarcasm and zestful about life. An amazing woman, peculiar a lot of times. She pretty much resembled her name - Apol, as sweet and sumptuous yet spelled so barok.

It was when she left a year later after she hired me that I realized the most important thing she taught me- believing myself.

"Ikaw lang ang stylist na iniwan ko sa shoot!"

That's my claim to fame.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Your love and respect overwhelms me.

decorator said...

:) you know me goddess, i have always been honest about what i feel...

Apol said...

Naku, Gwyn, sasabihin ko na sa 'yo ang katotohanan, kung bakit nag-click tayo: I used to be Apolinario. Galing ng Bangkok doctor ko no?

Kisskisskiss. I'm really touched :)

decorator said...

bwahahahhhahahha!!! bakla ka!!!