Got Beat Up Before The Most Kilig "Happy Birthday" On Air

How would you feel if your birthday falls on the exact day of your sparring finals? I guess we'll be singing happy birthday with a black eye. :P


It was back in 2006 in my 1st year of college and my birthday was also the day of my Arnis sparring finals. (Arnis is a Philippine Martial Art that was used as self-defense by pre-Spanish Filipinos.) What the hell, I get to be beaten up on my birthday! 

photo courtesy of mobfunda.net

Weirdly, my sister volunteered to wait for me to finish my Arnis finals. Our final examinations for PE end late in the afternoon, especially if you reach the final rounds. I had no intentions of losing for the sake of celebrating my birthday, so I guess she had to wait for me until 5PM. 


I was so excited and pumped up for my Arnis sparring that I seemed to have scared the living hell out of my first opponent. As I aggressively charged towards my opponent with a jumping attack, I saw my sister silently praying at the corner of my eye. Hmm.. praying for my safety perhaps?

photo courtesy of Chewy Chua of flickr.com

The match ended pretty quickly with a win! Hooray! :) Winning however meant less birthday time but I did not mind since I was so focused on winning. Boy was I delusional. :P


My sister kept looking at her watch while we were waiting for my next match. After 30 minutes, I found myself back in the sparring area after exchanging some polite bows with a new opponent. She was much bigger than I was but I had more fire in my eyes. My sister had that worried look in her eyes but I was too concentrated in winning to even wonder. 

photo courtesy of dumaguetephoto.com

After gaining my 1st point, I got more and more aggressive. Too aggressive that my hands became too sweaty and I dropped my stick when attempted to perform another jumping attack. I growled in frustration before the bell was struck to signal round 3. On this round, I once again accidentally dropped my stick while hitting her. WTH. So yeah, I lost from dropping my stick 2x. How annoying is that? She didn't even get to hit me but she won.


My sister looked so ecstatic after my loss as she pulled me out of the gymnasium and pushed me on to a car. I was still dripping with sweat but she just quickly drove off. I had no time to even mourn my loss. She was really in a hurry because she said we might not get to enter if we don't arrive in time. Enter what? We drove off so fast and I kept guessing in the car as to where we were going. Finally, we parked somewhere near ABS-CBN and my eyes popped out, "NO WAY! Seriously???" :)

Yes, my sister got us seats to watch GARY VALENCIANO, Mr. Pure Energy, Gary V. in ASAP! OMG! Ever since I watched Gary V in one of his mall shows back in high school, I easily became a convert. Since then, I have been watching his shows, concerts and mall tours. Fan girl Smarla mode again. :) (Gary V is a popular singer, dancer, actor and performer in the Philippines and ASAP is a noon time show in one of our local TV networks.)

My 1st Gary V Mall Show in 2003

With a quick outfit change outside ABS-CBN, we quickly got through the studio with the help of some really great connections. Thanks guys! 


In no time, the show started and we were seated just beside the stage. 

2006: Bernard Palanca, Luis Manzano, Carlos Agassi

2006: Carlos Agassi greeting me Happy Birthday

It was a great seat since we were able to interact with the celebrities there during commercial break. My sister kept telling them, "It's her 18th birthday!" Because of this, I got a hand shake from Luis Manzano (his hand was so soft) and a birthday greeting from Carlos Agassi. Haha. It was amazing! 


Here are some more shots from the studio:

2006: Anne Curtis

Aiza Seguerra and Juris from MYMP

Iya Villania

PBB Cast with Mariel Rodriguez

Tony Gonzaga

Vina Morales, Rachel Alejandro

Gab Valenciano

Jasmine Trias

Gary Valenciano, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Top Suzara

Paolo Santos and Gary Valenciano

Yes it was my debut and it was a great debut party. It's not the the usual ball gowns and 18 shots and I loved it that way. I loved the fact that I was able to celebrate my birthday with Gary V! Woot! Woot! Do you know what the most kilig "happy birthday" greeting ever is like? Here it is:

That's the VCR version. Here's the live studio version:

I know, I scream like a fan girl! Haha, I was 18 back then, forgive the screaming. :P Wouldn't you feel the same if Gary V greeted you on air! 


During the commercial break with Gary Valenciano on the stage, my sister suddenly raised a cartolina sign with the words: "Gary V, please greet my sister Smarla. It's her 18th birthday today!" When Gary V saw this, he cringed his eyes as he tried to read the sign. He then went over and asked, "Where's Smarla?" I shrieked as I felt fingers point at me. He looked at me and said, "Smarla, thank you for celebrating your birthday with us." I was literally dying from euphoria in my seat. OMG. Gary Valenciano noticed me! He then went back to his spot to go on air. It was then that he greeted me on television. 


I KNOW. OMG. 


I doubt that Gary V remembers this moment but he made my debut so memorable. Thank you Gary V. Thank you Ate (older sister) for such a great birthday surprise. That was the most kilig "happy birthday" greeting I ever received. Woah.


PS. My high school kabarkada (friend) is celebrating her birthday this Saturday. Happy birthday Ampao! It's a Cosplay party and I still don't have any clue on what to wear. If you have any ideas, please let me know. :) 

PS2. Gary V Soul in Motion in Music Museum series is not yet over. There are 3 more concert dates to go: Sept 23, 20, 30 at 7:30 PM at the Music Museum in San Juan. 

~It's the little sweet notes everyday that matter. :)~