Dreamboy Gay Bar

Another Saturday, another adventure. This time around my curiousity brought me to the Dreamboys Gay Bar located near the Betty Go Belmonte station. With its proximity to Cubao and being along Aurora Boulevard, it was quite easy to locate.

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Why did I decide to visit this particular gay bar? I got an email through one of the yahoogroups I am subscribed to that they have a big night. It will be the Grand Finals of the Search for Mr. Dreamboy 2009. I almost did not go as I met some friends and it was difficult to get away from them and explain where I was headed. Luckily, I was able to escape and be at the bar by 12 midnight. As I mentioned on my blog about the Sir June Gay Bar, midnight is when their dancers start losing all their clothing. And in this case, I was expecting that the competition would be starting at that time.

Similar to my experience two weeks ago, I was early again. At least, this time around there were a number of patrons already in the venue. More than half the number of tables were occupied. It seems it was a big night indeed. The competition did not start yet but dancers were gyrating on the stage in trunks and they were either titillating the audience with the promise that a big one is lying erect under the thin cloth they are wearing or they leave nothing to the imagination. One after the another they strutted and teased up until half past 1 when the contest proper was on the way.

While waiting for the Search for Mr. Dreamboy 2009 to begin, I was approached by their floor manager to be a judge. Of course I accepted. I felt so priviledged to be asked but as I was not really on the out and out, I did not really provide my full name. There I was not only ready to enjoy the spectacle of seeing the gay bar's best of the best but also all set to objectively judge the candidates based on what the floor manager explained to me.

Once the pseudo-contest was on the way, my eye feasted on the eye candy parading in front of me. I half-expected to see more seasoned performers here especially since that was the impression from what I heard about this bar. Pleasantly surprised. As it turns out for 2009, they have rolled out invitations to newer macho dancers. They had their new wards compete for this year's Search for Mr. Dreamboy. They had an interesting array of participants - some on the muscular side, some almost twinky, a few a little chubby, some moreno, some fair - but all well-endowed and sexy. They were more than willing to up the ante as they tried to out-perform each other.

They started out with what they called as the national costume portion but I would hardly call these national costumes. The talent portion followed. That took quite some time since the dancers really made an effort in their performances. They had more costumes and back up dancers. I enjoyed each individual's efforts. Unlike my last gay bar trip,definitely all the macho dancers knew how to dance and none of them were stiff nor were they just going through their paces. All well-endowed, all flexible, all graceful. Since the talent portion took almost two hours, they rushed through the casual wear, swim wear and sports wear.

Around that time I realized that the competion was rigged. Because it tookso long, a few of the judges already left. We were also asked to contribute some money. From one of the dancers I got to talk to (and these were the ones not involved in the competition), the amout one contributes influences who wins. It discouraged me a bit but I just continued rating the dancers based on the criteria they supposedly set. They still did the interview portion but one would notice that the people they want to win were asked additional questions unlike the other dancers. Anyway, I did stay to the end - I believe I was the only judge left in the bar and just a few tables were still occupied. And as expected, (It was revealed by the dancers I was able to talk to during the night) the one they said was going to win did win. 

All in all, a different experience. I enjoyed it though and if I was going back to the same gay bar, this would be it. They had a higher entrance fee but it was worth it especially with their big night. The place was well ventilated, even if the place got full. The guys were more than your average joes. They were not just picked up from the streets. They knew how to dance and they gave their all when they were on the stage. For me it was time and money well spent.

With this particlar bar, when they say it is a big night, they do deliver. Hoping when they do hold a different kind of big night, I am able to visit them. 

How was your Saturday?

Pinoy Gay Blogs

This past week I have researched on Pinoy gay blogs. I am telling you. There are a lot. Navigating through the numerous blogs that are available and then reading them thouroughly took most of my week. I was so distracted not only because there are so many but there were a number which really amused and entertained me.

I won't be discussing each blog in detail. Most likely I would allocate a singular blog entry for specific blogs that really made an impact on later posts. For now, let this be a primer or an overview.

In cyberspace, there are a lot of blogs one can keep a track of, depending on your interests. What I have focused on are Pinoy gay blogs. How do we define what we mean by Pinoy gay blogs? Based on the article "What Makes a Gay Blogger?" of the blog, The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything," it is not about the contents of the blog itself that make the it a Pinoy gay blog but the orientation of the blogger himself. Being gay or bisexual doesn't mean that all you are going to be talking about are gorgeous guys, showbiz news, Malate, etc. Like our straight counterparts, our interests cover a broad spectrum.

Of the blogs I have taken interest in, some talk about movies (The Bakla Review), some compile sexy pictures (Hot Men in the Philippines, Ultimate Pinoy Hunks, Gwapong Pinoy), some talk about showbiz news (The Bashhh!, Showbiz News Now), some talk about being a vegan (The Vegan Prince), some share their sexcapades (Bert Baltazar), some give insight about being HIV positive (Back in the Closet), some do podcasts (The Dan and Rye Show Revived), some compile erotic stories (Kwentong Kalibugan, Mga Kwento ni Big Boy ), some share masseurs for hire and escort contacts (Pinoy Masseurs for Hire, My Boytoy, Hottest Boys in Town) while others share their day to day lives and insights (Turismoboi's Escapades, Pulsar, Tristan Tales, Sekretong Malupet ni Jay Vee, Cruisin' of a Fallen Angel, Trench, Fabricated Late Night Blues, XanFactor), and news reports that interests the blogger and his readers (Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?), as others share a compilation of contributions of other bloggers (Rainbow Bloggers Philippines). Others are harder to classify because of the eclectic articles they post, and these are the more famous Pinoy gay bloggers (Miong21 at Blogspot, Manila Gay Guy).

The bloggers themselves come from different backgrounds: a writer (The Spy in the Sanwich), a call boy (Confessions of a Dirty Good Boy), a call center trainer (Call Center Confidential), a call center team leader (The Crazy Life of TL), a CEO (Corporate Closet), Filipinos based abroad (Tiggah's Life in Random, The Misadventures of the Adventurous Bottom, Kawadjan), a film maker (BEYONDtheBOX), a screenwriter (Lexuality), a writer / editor (Gibbs Cadiz), and a lawyer (MisterHuege) among others.

Altogether, a majority of the blogs I got to view allows the reader a peek at the thoughts, interests and feelings of the bloggers as they go about their lives. Maybe you have similar interests or that you see yourself in their shoes. Maybe you just find it amusing. Maybe your a voyeur that relishes the opportunity to glimpse at others lives. Maybe you want an escape from your own life and a short trip to someone else's is a welcome respite. Regardless of the reasons for liking a particular blog, there are quite a number to choose from and scanning all the blogs to look for those that interest you may be overwhelming.

I suggest take some time to browse a few then at a later time expand what other blogs to follow and if you have a Blogger account, you can track them through a Reading List. Maybe you used to write a diary (Better yet, you may still be writing one up to this day), blogging would be an alternative way to express oneself. It allows you a level of anonymity and at the same time permits you to find kindred spirits. There are a lot of available websites that allow you to set up your own blog like Blogger, WordPress and LiveJournal. Even our usual social networking sites (Friendster and Facebook) have an option for blogging which those on your friends list has an access to read and react to.

I recently started this blog myself - sharing my interests, some thoughts. I aim to slowly share a bit more of myself in the future once I get more at ease.

Maybe one of these days I get to read your blog too.

PlanetRomeo (Goodbye Guys4Men)

Reading various blogs, I came upon the news that Guys4Men and PlanetRomeo were joining forces. It was a surprise for me moreso because obviously I haven't been accessing my account in Guys4Men. The G4M user profiles will be integrated to PlanetRomeo's web applications. So, out with the old website and in with the new.





I would expect many reactions to this development as many, like me, were so used to the look and feel (and navigation) of the G4M website. I wasn't there when this was announced in the website but I am sure that it did raise a furor. The forums would have been filled with protests and complaints. As we all know, change is inevitable and no matter how much ranting is done the change was going to push through and it did.

I have had an account with G4M for a long time. It was one way of getting seen and seeing other PLUs. A lot of other websites provided the same function - Tagged, Downelink, gay.com, Manjam, etc - but for Filipinos, G4M holds a distinction. I, myself, was already so adept maneouvering the website - the user search, the chatroom, the forums. When I got around to read the news of the merging, the deed was done. So, instead of checking my G4M account, I typed the PlanetRomeo website on my address bar and checked if indeed they have carried over my account. I typed in my User Name and Password. Indeed, I was able to log in and my profile from G4M was now in PlanetRomeo.

What are the changes I have observed? The biggest one is that that forums only existed within an established group. Meaning, a group had to be created first and from there, one can access the group's forum. As mentioned, the new website allows people to establish groups. So, depending on your interests, a group can be created, much like those in Yahoo, Friendster and Facebook. Instead of messages sent to email addresses as done in Yahoo, the groups in PlanetRomeo are similar to Friendster and Facebook where in it can hold forums and share pictures. The user profiles now read as one page instead of having a tab and passwords are not needed for private pictures. Any pictures set to be shown on the profile are public. If one has pictures they would only like to show to selected individuals, manage those in a folder and only attach them to messages. When one logs in, he can set his status as - Chat, Friends, Nothing, Relationship, Date, Sex, Busy, Away, and Invisible. When using Search or viewing user profiles, the status will set the expectation of those viewing on what you are looking for. The most noticeable change for G4M users will be that of the presence of color. The website is primarily in blue and then user profiles are now customizeable, with over 40 profile design templates to choose from.

There are still a lot of things to familiarize myself with in PlanetRomeo. Why don't you give it a try and see what it can do for you? You will find as useful as what G4M has been and maybe more. Maybe through this new website you will find your next FUBU, partner or friend. Check it out.

Sir June Gay Bar

Last Saturday, I was in an adventurous mood that I took the time to visit a gay bar in the heart of Pasig called Sir June.

I have heard that there was a gay bar along Ortigas Extension but never got around to find and visit it. It lies along Ortigas Extension and one can say it is discreetly located that you cannot distinguish it from the videoke bars in the area. The night I went to this establishment they had a special show called "Hamog sa Tag-Init" (which roughly translates to Dew of Summer) so I was revved up with the promise of a special show.


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I got there at 10:30pm. Well, it did say on the banner outside that the show will start at 10pm so I was fashionably late. Guess what? It did not. As it turns out, there was only one other group who got there before and the show has not yet started. I was thinking it was a slow night or this was how it was in this bar. The show did start at 11pm with 12 guys wearing black undershirt and maong shorts in their bare feet gyrating on the stage one after the other in sleezy music. After 12midnight, when most gay bars start to have their dancers start stripping off all their clothes, I was expecting the expected. Their second set costume consisted of their underwear and boots. Their special show for the night was a sort-of competition between 3 of their younger models.

All in all, the place was clean enough with the comfort room, though a bit rustic, was properly maintained. The air conditioner was not enough to fully ventilate the bar that they need ceiling fans to assist in cooling their patrons. Prices are reasonable considering it was a Saturday and they supposedly have a special show. There was no actual menu but they do offer some finger food, just inquire with the waiters. The bar tolerates smokers and provides an ash tray upon settling down in your table. Their floor manager was accomodating, much as their dancers who strike a conversation towards enticing you to purchase a macho drink. My expectations were quite high since I have been to other gay bars and expected an exciting show. Of the limited number of macho dancers that they featured, only two were good looking. From the two, only one stood out because he had equally sexy body and was more than happy to display it. It was a let down that when they were gyrating on the stage some were wearing underwear that were loose. Usually, macho dancers will wear the skimpiest outfits, if not, nothing at all to thrill their audience. In this case, they were neither flattering to the dancer nor enticing to those who were watching them. I guess because of my expectations of gay bars, I had a heightened expectation of a lot of flesh exposures. I left by 3am and at that time only 2 of their macho dancers had shown their wares.

It was not such a bad field trip. Maybe I'll drop by again one of these days.

Welcome to my Blog

I don't know what came over me. From out of the blue I decided to do a blog about being gay, being an older gay guy. Maybe it is just a release of ideas - ideas i am not really at liberty to share or am afraid to share to others around me. And it is through this blog, I am deciding to express them.

I will not bore you with just my thoughts. It will be more of - what is it like to be an older gay guy in the Philippines. Hope it works out.