Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

I SINCERELY thank my readers for their responses, positive and otherwise, to this column. It has been a humbling experience for me. To clear the air, especially to the skeptics out there, I fully admit that I am not a writer or journalist. I collaborate with a professional to weave these thoughts of mine into coherence.

What I am is a curious observer of all things artistic, and I can say that in my many years in the beauty industry, I have come across many personalities and experiences which I think are worth sharing. I hope that what I share here is taken in the spirit for which it is intended. I aim to tell stories that are entertaining. The world is chaotic enough as it is, and I do not wish to join the doomsayers. There is much in the world to celebrate. This is what I wish to do—to celebrate the life and accomplishments of notable Filipinos and Filipino-Americans. Speaking of notables, this particular person comes to mind. A Pinoy that I’m proud to call my friend is master starmaker Alfie Lorenzo. He and I go way back. I have to acknowledge him as my main bridge to the fascinating world of Philippine entertainment. Through Alfie, I have met the biggest stars of our country.

My friend Alfie is a complex person. Matampuhin, maalalahanin, mataray, matapang, mabait, maldita, at higit sa lahat, maaasahan. No one can deny that in Philippine show business, Alfie Lorenzo is considered an institution. Besides being a venerable movie and entertainment columnist, Alfie is a legendary maker of stars. We all know him as manager to top talents such as Sunshine Cruz and Ruffa Gutierrez. This award-winning luminary is perhaps best known as the man behind the success of superstar Judy Ann Santos.

Si Juday, talagang inaalagaan niya since she was very young because he saw such a potential in her. Today, Juday is among the busiest and most in-demand dramatic actresses in Philippine movies. If you look at Juday’s longevity in showbiz, it’s like seeing the essence of Alfie Lorenzo. When he believes in your talent, he will bend over backwards to make it happen. He is just that kind of person.

I met Alfie over 20 years ago, and it was actually a very unusual meeting. He was visiting Los Angeles and a common friend first introduced us over the phone. We made plans to hang out at the annual Halloween Parade in West Hollywood.

For the occasion, my then boyfriend and I were wearing costumes with masks. Dressed like so, we picked up our new friend Alfie, who had no idea what I looked like but trusted me anyway to take him to the Halloween festivities.I would like to think of that moment as a significant start of our friendship because he was willing to accept me, mask and all. And I felt the same way about him.

From then on, we became close friends. So everytime he would come to LA where I’m based, he would stay with me at my humble apartment back then. When I went home to Manila, I was welcome to stay at his place as well. Being around Alfie is the same as hanging out with celebrities because that is the world that he exists in. Through him, I became fascinated with the goings-on in the movie industry.

Through Alfie, I met another remarkable woman, Annabelle Rama and the rest of the Gutierrez clan, as well as the cute Liberty boys in those days.

I also met the who’s who in the Philippine entertainment press like Cristy Fermin, among others.

I feel honored to be part of Alfie’s circle of friends. To me, he is like a very dear Tita. He is a little matampuhin when he is not the first one I call when I go home to Manila. These days, Alfie and I barely have time to get together and talk like the old times.

May you continue to nurture the strongest talents in this generation. God bless you and your loved ones!!!

***

LA-based celebrity stylist Monet Lu was born in Marikina, Philippines. In the 80s, Monet left a thriving salon chain business in his hometown to migrate to the US. He had the vision to recreate his success in the US by building a beauty business that served the needs of Filipino Americans. Currently, Monet is the proud owner of four salons with branches in Van Nuys CA, Panorama City CA, Los Angeles CA and Las Vega NV. He has since branched out to event productions through his events and marketing company, Events Specialists International, producer of the longest-running [20 years!] and most prestigious Filipino-American awards/fashion show in SoCal. In 2006, Monet kicked off another passion to develop his own line of all-natural, beauty care products, Skin By Monet.

Monet is also a humanitarian and has supported many charitable organizations such as the Marikina Revitalization Project, AIDS Center in Pasadena, Alab Ng Puso, Every Nation Ministries, Gawad Kalinga, Bantay Bata 163, and many more. To contact Monet, please visit his site: www.monetsalon.com.

( www.asianjournal.com )

( Published on June 11, 2009 in SF Magazine p. 3 )