Bloggers' Meet & Greet with BB Gandanghari

After attending the launching of the Philippine e-Lib.blog in UP Diliman, we (Superf & I) ran hurriedly to catch up with the blog event at the Mag:net Cafe, The Fort.

It was a meeting with the very controversial yet admirable, BB Gandanghari.

When she entered the room and posed for the cameras, I was stunned, got speechless and was amazed by her positive energies. Her self-confidence, elegance and kindness are praiseworthy. She answered all the bloggers' queries with all honesty and never had a moment of insecurity and regret.

Here are 10 things you have to know about BB Gandanghari.

1. BB made her first public appearance at the 31st Gawad Urian on October 1, 2008, when she presented the Best Actor Award. She was then simply "Gandanghari."

2. Gandanghari is a real name. According to BB, she once saw a girl in UST who was named Gandanghari and she liked the name so much she decided to use it for herself.

3. The name BB is short for Binibini. It is also a contraction of BB's motto: "Be all that you can be."

4. BB loves white wine and fresh fruits.

5. During photoshoots, BB loves to have mood music playing in the background. She especially likes sentimental music by Basil Valdez and Rey Valera, and the song "Alipin" by Shamrock.

6. Because she believes that taking the stairs in her high heels is a way to lose weight, BB doesn't like to use the elevator.

7. BB's height is 5'11" and she says her vital statistics are 36-25-36.

8. Iman, BB's labrador, is named after a famous Somali fashion model.

9. Audrey Hepburn is BB's favorite fashion icon and style inspiration.

10. Updates on BB's activities may be found in gandanghari.thepoc.net.

...And here are some BB-isms for you to read on...

1. "Rustom is dead. But BB is here to stay."

2. "Sometimes, a person has to die to be able to live again."

3. "I am a woman. Physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and... financially."

4. "I've learned that life is always about perfect timing. Everything happens for a reason in God's perfect time."

5. "Being gay is not a preference; it's not something that you can change. It's something that you have to accept and learn to live with. Being gay is not a choice, either. It's an orientation."

6. "I don't believe God created gay people. Our experiences in this world do. When you have come to realize that you're gay, that's when you turn to God, not to ask Him to change you, but to ask Him for forgiveness, mercy and more importantly, acceptance."

7. "There's wisdom behind chance encounters. After meeting new people and gaining new friends, we become a different person. Our personality goes through a never ending process of change because we constantly learn from the people around us."

8. "I don't conquer. I am to be conquered."

9. "I've always believed that fear of God is the beginning of wisdom."

10. ...

"Be all that you can be."

BB Fans' Club? Why not?

Lucky me! I won a "Lolo Jose" book! Yeyz!

The event was really entertaining I didn't notice that it's already dark outside. BB is such a sensible person, you'll never wish to end the conversation. And if there's one thing I learned from her, it would be...

"Be true to yourself and to God because in the end, it would only be between you and Him. People around you may judge you but in the end, God is the only one who has the power to do so."

Credits to:

Noemi Dado & Dine Racoma, Edel Mabalay and Philippine Online Chronicles