Killing two birds with one stone

I had a taping last week for Kung Ako Ikaw, Joey Marquez and Keempee de Leon’s reality TV show on GMA 7.

The said taping has helped me somehow overcome my fear of knives and blades.

The task was to make a balisong or swiss knife from scratch. This means finding metal scraps and shaping and sharpening the blade itself.

It didn’t seem so hard when they told Sheree, Angelu de Leon and me about it until we got to Taal, Batangas when the weather was simply not cooperative.

It was raining hard and that made it a bit difficult for us to get the cameras rolling.

The first task was to walk from one house to another around the neighborhood and purchase metal scraps from the locals.

Cellphones and other personal belongings were not allowed during the entire taping.

We were sent off with a little over a hundred pesos and were challenged to bargain with homeowners for their metal scraps.

I was able to come back without having to spend anything. But what turned out to be more challenging was pushing the huge metal cart under the rain.

Then we all headed back into the compound to start learning to put a knife together.

The rest of the day went smoothly since we were already indoors.

My co-artists were so much fun to work with. Joey and Keempee made sure that it wasn’t a boring rainy day for us.

It was a never-ending chat all throughout the day, which made the hours seem to move a lot faster.

There was no dull moment. Sometimes, Joey would ask us personal questions as if in a talk show. It was hilarious. You have to see it.

Making a balisong certainly is a challenge, especially since we’re not used to carrying heavy things. It sure is a man’s job.

Working again with Angelu was very nice. I remember telling her I still see her as her character in www.XXX.com (my launching movie in 2004 ). She was like a big sister to me in that film, someone I looked up to.

Angelu’s sense of humor hasn’t changed since the day I first worked with her. She is still very lively and brings a different feel to the set.

I was very nervous in every scene with her since it was my first time and she made sure I felt comfortable around her, even if she has been in the business a lot longer than me.

There was no seniority factor while working with Angelu. Crying scenes were the hardest for me that time. The first ever crying scene I did was where I drove her home and I had a breakdown.

It’s funny, now that I look back. I couldn’t stop crying! I might have gotten stuck in my emotional zone and Angelu was one of those who talked me out of it. I always thought she’s a sweetheart. Now back to Kung Ako Ikaw. Our taping didn’t feel like a competition at all since Sheree is also a good friend.

I killed two birds in one stone in that trip. One was getting over my fear of blades and knives. The second was reminding me back when I was starting out and working with Angelu.

Please watch us tomorrow night on Kung Ako Ikaw. The show will run for three nights and the winner will be announced on Wednesday night.

A huge part of our overall points are based on text votes. Please find time to vote for the deserving one and vote as many times as you want!

Smile and have a wonderful day!