Oh shoot!

It's been more than a year since I last attended a photo shoot here in Manila. Compared to a TV shoot, a photo one is much more relaxed and people are more laid back and a bit off-kilter.

After sitting through today's long-ish session, i'm definitely glad that I decided to drop by the studio and join in. There were a number of things that - as Dunkin' Donuts used to say in their old slogan - made it worth the trip.

- Seeing Trisha and Harvey again after a long time. It felt so good to lounge around the empty space beside the studio talking about old friends in DY&R - their quirks and what made them such memorable characters.

- Hearing Harvey deliver jokes with expert precision. I thought my lungs were going to burst because of laughing to hard at his Mang Ness jokes. Mang Ness was the "oldest" art director in our agency that time, and Harvey had a plethora of Mang Ness that time. My favorites are:

"Mang Ness, ang galing niyo naman mag-layout. Saan kayo nag-train? Sa La Solidaridad?"

"Huwag niyong gagalitin si Mang Ness. Baka isumbong niya kayo sa mga close friends niya na sikat. Dati nga, nung nagalit siya, nagsumbong siya kay Moses."

- Meeting someone who I've always wanted to meet. Patrick is a wedding photographer whose name I've heard for ages, thanks to my sister and brother-in-law and their involvement in weddings. I've always admired Patrick's work because he's so good in capturing candid moments. While in the studio this afternoon, I found out that the place we're using belonged to Patrick, and he was there! I had to meet him!

Louie introduced me to Patrick, and we spent a few hours taking about things ranging from weddings, coordinators from hell, things that go wrong duing the big day, travel, and of course, how wonderful the Philippines is. My impression about Patrick is correct, he really is a fascinating person.

- Being mistaken for a foreigner over and over again. It felt like Groundhog Day.

- Hearing someone call Vanessa a "Mahaderang Nanay."

All these fun things in less than 10 hours. Moments like these make me happy that i'm in advertising. And it's moments like these that make me wish I can attend more photo shoots here in Manila.