When we decided to have Diet for Kikay Eye, I immediately volunteered to have the shoot at my house. After all, it’s not every day that you can say that Diether Ocampo stayed in your house (even for just a couple of hours).
Of course, it’s easy to style Diet. He looks good in just about anything. I know he likes jeans and simple shirts, so I made sure to choose some dressier stuff from Celio for this shoot. And of course, a couple of Bench staples. Diet knows how to pose and project in front of the camera, so the shoot was over quickly. Much too soon for my taste, but what can you do?
After the shoot, while Diet was filling out The Proust Questionnaire, we got to talking about what was new with him. He’s just wrapping up his new soap, another fantaserye called Rounin, which is all about a warrior race – pardon me if I didn’t get it quite right, one tends to get distracted by Diether – and in which he plays the king or leader.
But what really gets him all fired up is his K.I.D.S. Foundation. I first heard of this from Diether when we did the Coke Light event together. We exhibited some of Diet’s photos of co-celebrities, and some of the children that his foundation supports. Coke Light also donated a hefty sum to his foundation.
When he was telling me how hard it was to focus on just one issue, you could see how frustrated he was. "We decided to focus on stopping child labor for now," he told me. "Did you know that kids have to drop out of school so that they can work to support their families? And then they don’t want to go back to school anymore because they get left so far behind (academically)."
You can really see the passion in his eyes. It’s so convincing, I almost wanted to volunteer myself! It’s so refreshing to see a star of Diet’s stature get genuinely excited about causes like these. So for me, anytime, make mine Diet!
Name: Diether Ocampo
Trait you are most known for: Resilience; I’m a survivor.
Your favorite qualities in a woman: Impeccable with words; sensitive.
Your favorite qualities in friends: Trustworthy, sincere and genuine.
Your biggest flaw: O.C. (obsessive-compulsive)
What fault are you most tolerant and patient of? Ignorance.
Your idea of happiness: Ending poverty and child labor.
What do you think was the best time in your life so far? Waking up.
Your idea of misery: Tolerating cruelty.
If not yourself, who would you be? Let God decide for me.
Where would you like to live? Philippines.
How do you make time for yourself? Voluntarily.
When and where was your most memorable journey? Cambodia early this year.
Your favorite color and flower: White; tulip.
Your favorite author: Paolo Coelho.
Your favorite hero in fiction: Wolverine.
Your favorite musicians: Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler, Axl Rose.
Your favorite painter: Leonardo da Vinci.
Your favorite heroes in real life: Jesus, Gandhi.
Your favorite names: Jesus; Kristine; Dream.
Your pet peeves: Smoker’s breath; dirty nails.
What gift from nature would you like to have? Rain.
How would you like to die? Peacefully.
You always wish you had more time to: Laugh and play with kids.
What is your present state of mind? Curious.
If not busy, you can always be found: At home.
You will never be caught wearing: Tights.
Celebrity style you’d like to follow: Mick Jagger.
Your fashion icon: Johnny Depp.
One instance when you felt reality’s bite: Meeting celebrities.
Your favorite time of day: Morning.
The last place you want to be if you run out of time: Bathroom.
What do you like to spend your money on? Food, books.
What is your greatest extravagance? Food and great vintage wine. – Based on The Marcel Proust Questionnaire