I haven't been going out lately

That is the new favorite line people use when they see each other out at night. It can be one of these things. Maybe that’s their way of touching base or their attempt at self-rehabilitation, either from an operation or just plain self-introspection. Some can be in a new relationship or others have found new preoccupations (like editing their Facebook or Twitter pages), or are just plain bored with the same things and are looking for something more exciting. I doubt that the current swine flu scare affects people’s nocturnal decisions, if at all. Or maybe they’ve been busy watching all the Michael Jackson tributes on TV, I know I have.

My response to that icebreaker is, “Me, too!” It’s highly relative though — whether it’s a few months, a few weeks or a few nights. Or a few hours. (Guilty!) These days, time goes by just like that and next thing we know, we’re on the throes of making a countdown for another year ahead.

Okay, let me not go that fast and recount my weeks. Amidst event hopping/hosting/taping/traveling and everything else in between, I think I can say the line above not because I really haven’t been going out lately — it’s because I’ve been hanging out with different groups of people. In this industry, diversity is key and the more we’re open to others, the more we learn. So when I hear “I haven’t been going out lately,” it just means that you’ve not been hanging with the same set of people, and that’s a good thing. It makes us sane. “Consistency is the hobgoblin of the mind,” I remember Miriam Defensor-Santiago saying in one TV interview. Not the best example but someone we can all learn from in keeping our sanity intact.

There must be variety. Nothing is more of a curse than two words — “same old.” I guess I have this fear of boredom. Which works because I am in a position that enables me to add excitement to people’s lives — but I digress. Anyways, on terms of variety, I’d gladly hop from a corporate function, like the launch of Thai Airways flight to Oslo (which I hosted) at the Makati Shangri-La to a birthday party at Basilio’s at the Fort, and climax the night dancing at Superklasse (happy 4th year anniversary!) Wednesdays helmed by Johnny Verse and his Styles crew. After that, I’d look for Carlo Trillo at Fiamma and recount the productive day that was, and call it a night before it actually becomes day.

Speaking of variety, I really love what Amanda Griffin-Jacob did for her husband David. She got hot hot hot chef Steph Zubiri to take care of venue and catering for a select few of David’s friends to toast to the man on his birthday. The venue was, of course, Steph’s Alabang home, a perfect venue away from the hustle and bustle of Makati — with Steph adding her personal touch to everything, which makes any event extra special. For David’s big day, Steph designed a five course meal, all done in pass around bites, from onion soup shots to baby steak cuts — it was a genius way to do degustacion without all the fuss. Bravo, Steph! And belated happy birthday to a man who has it all — CEO by day, DJ by night, full-time husband to a gorgeous and loving wife and a great friend — that’s David Jacob for you, proving to all that yes, we can always take things “to another level.”

So amidst crying a river watching MJ’s memorial tribute, I told myself, “Gotta make that change for once in my life…” Yes, let’s start with that man in the mirror…