Who Is Chikatime? Part 1

this article originally appeared on Victorina blog

By: Brian Gorrell


On February 2008, my blissful existence in Boracay abruptly came to a miserable ending. I had originally planned many years of island living because Boracay brought unbridled joy and unparalleled haven for me. But alas a wolf in shining armour came to dazzle, and bathe me with his charms that even Venus would have been jealous. My prince charming, Delfin Justiniano Ocampo nicknamed DJ brought me back down to a sobering reality by stealing my life savings, all of $70,000 dollars. Confused by a broken heart and stunned by feelings of desperation as well as delirious with fear and uncertainty, I had to leave all that was everything for me, Boracay, and the Philippines.

I’d just spent six months doing a vicious nail biting ‘pas de deux’ with the horrendous Montano family during which a million futile attempts to recover my life savings came up trumps. DJ’s mother Aurora and their lawyer "taunted" me for months, buying time until I had to leave the country. Aurora seemed desperate to shut me up, but not desperate enough to give me the money her son stole. The Montanos ignored my pleas when I was in Manila, and appeared to believe DJ’s improbable story even as they seemed intent on spiriting him out of the country for greener pastures in California.

They had no idea I would start the blog to seek justice. And so here we are 1 year later.

DJ simply left the country, away from his crimes and the shame it brought the whole Montano Clan. Of course it’s not at all uncommon in the Philippines to leave the country in disgrace only to return years later with a ‘clean’ slate.

It was so obvious to me when I watched their ‘performance’ on Korina Sanchez’s show. Everyone I know who watched them squirmed, while all these lies came flying out. Lies do stain.. Hopefully, time will not bleach it out of our consciousness, and as long as I am alive, I promise that it will never be.

Aurora threatened to have me deported because I am HIV positive...
Aurora fought DJ’s battle. I knew then what I was up against. DJ used my HIV when he wanted my money. He used it to blistering effect, telling me he would always look after me and so on. And now his mother was threatening to have me deported because of it. My head was spinning. It really was shock and awe prior to their Korina appearance.

And so my fight began.

DJ still had my stolen life savings and there were no signs of him returning it anytime soon. I had to do something drastic. I had to tell people what he did to me. And so I began to ask for help among the circle of friends and associates I came to believe were friends.

Yet despite my hunger for justice I still questioned myself if I would be able to fight. Am I doing the right thing? The answer came while having lunch with my great friend on Boracay. It was February 11, 2008 when I first heard of the Chikatime gossip site.

Until that time, I’d never told a soul about my unfortunate situation, except for my dearest friends on the island and some people in Manila who needed to know. But word was getting around and some people were writing asking if I was alright.

The first person i’d told was my best friend Gorgeous (not her true name) who is extremely well known and highly respected on the island. She was also the very first person I confided to about DJ stealing my life savings, back in September 2007, so she was VERY up to speed with the story of Montano. .And it did not surprise her at all that I had yet to recover any money from him after six months of pleading with DJ and his family. She could sense my fear that I would never get it back. And I remember her telling me to be prepared for that. Indeed, she was right. She actually predicted that he would flee the country in disgrace. She was right again.

The SECOND person I told was another incredible Manila mate who I’ll call Slumdog (started as a Facebook friend). You see, they’re best friends, so they knew what to do and they rallied around me big time. Together, the two of them got me through the toughest week of my life. They supported me and loved me and continue to do so to this very day. And since then, I’ve been able to return the favor to both of them. The three of us are great friends and always will be.

I knew a few people whom I’d mistakenly believed were my friends.. But they had abandoned me. I had nothing. It really was the worst experience of my life being hauled away from the hotel by the police in a foreign country. It was quite shocking to my system. I still have nightmares about that night and it will continually haunt me for the rest of my life.

And I’ll never forget Celine Lopez and Jackie Antonio as they watched me while my world crumbled before their eyes. And they were smiling and giggling. I remember screamming at them in the hotel lobby. As I looked CELINE in the eye, I saw right through to the other side.
The night after the trumped up ‘altercation’ at the hotel with Montano, Gorgeous and Slumdog met me at Martini Bar after I hysterically contacted them the previous day.DJ had also run off with the entire contents of my hotel safe (250,000 pesos, my plane ticket and passport, my brand new $400 shoes, my teeth whitener and two bottles of duty free perfume (one of which DJ was going to get anyways!), not to mention a VERY expensive antique Egyptian gold necklace from my mom which cost her way too much money...I told DJ how expensive the necklace was only because he asked why it was in a special box. He knew to take that piece when he bolted out the door with everything else.

Gorgeous and Slumdog got me quite drunk the night after DJ, Marcel Crespo, Jackie Antonio Cohn and Celine Lopez tried to destroy my life at the Intercontinental Hotel. It’s amazing how a few martinis can chase your troubles away. These two very special friends spent the entire night dabbing my sore red eyes, and pumping booze down my throat. They believed me 100% of course which also helped; because they had heard all about Montano and his scamming ways and they were not at all surprised. It was so nice to have friends that night that just supported me 100% and could comprehend my situation even if they were unable to actually do anything about it. I was on my own and I knew that from day one.

Months after our night at the bar, and just a couple of days after our lunch date, Gorgeous and I were at Café Del Mar at Station 2, relaxing while sipping our coffees and lamenting of course about my predicament. It was then that she ‘introduced’ me to the gossip blog Chikatime and suggested that I write ‘them’ and tell them about my dilemma with DJ Montano. She opened her computer and showed me the site. It was a crazy idea I thought and dismissed it immediately. But as we had a gander at the site and of course I hardly knew a soul on it, my feelings began to change. I decided to write Chikatime and try to get my story out there.

And I did.

Are you prepared for the truth?

Who really was Chikatime?

Earth Calling Barbie

Happy Birthday Barbie

Dear Readers,

While net surfing today, I realized that there are two famous icons celebrating their birthdays this month. They both need to be celebrated for different reasons.

No.

Not BryanBoy OR Chikatime.

But you can read Part 2 about BB in today’s edition of Victorina.

Anyways…

As I said, two icons are celebrating their birthday in March.

One is a gadget. And a controversial one at that.

For it would take more than a century later and not less than the US House of Representatives to pen a resolution in order to resolve a dispute, and acknowledge the contribution of another man towards its invention.

It’s that thing that most of us don’t leave home without. It’s both a blessing and a curse. But without it, we’re doomed! And whether we admit it to ourselves or not, the thing is, most of us can’t live without it. And don’t we just love using it?

Yes, it’s the telephone!

the worlds first official phone

Of course, the tiny bits of plastic of today do not bear any resemblance to the contraption that was invented way back then. It would take years and years of research and development before the 1st consumer-end telephone came into service. You know, the one with a rotary dial?

Telephones have always been wired and plugged into wall socket until the 80’s, when another improvement to the telephone happened. The mobile phone was born, and the dawn of wireless communication started. When it first appeared, mobile phones were anything BUT mobile. At least, to me it isn’t.

the first mobile phone

The phones probably weighed a ton and they were bigger than a brick! Can you imagine any of the Hollywood stars clutching this monstrosity during, say, Oscar night? What about the Grammys? Twittering is out of the question.

Hmm. Well, Rihanna would have probably been around the Grammys if she had one of these old style mobile phones handy, and beau-turned-bad boy Chris Brown would have been the one black and blue. Can't wait to hear 'their' new single which is apparently being recorded as I type this. So messed up I reckon. What kind of message is this sending to young girls around the world? Go back to your man, after he beats you? I guess so.

I LOVE my classic Motorola phone.

Anyhow, thanks to technology, mobile phones of today have become so much smaller and lighter that somehow, your phone has become an integral part of you. One is never without it. And with the decrease in size comes an increase in functionality. Tons and tons of technology bundled into today’s mobile phones. Things like SMS, address books, contact lists, media player, digicam, videocam… Whew! I’m rolling my eyes just thinking about it. I have yet to master my Motorola but I love it.

Yet, with all these advances made on this tiny piece of hardware, one function remains. It is so basic, yet so essential, and I think it is the very reason why the phone was invented.

To be able communicate.

In today’s world of chat, emoticons and texting, nothing can take the place of the human voice in conveying our true feelings towards another. When I feel troubled, I just call my mum and listen to her speak. Just hearing her sweet voice brings to me all the comforting I need. All my feelings of sadness and loneliness dissipate whenever I hear my boyfriend talk to me on the other line from miles away. Somehow, the distance doesn’t seem that far, for I feel like he is just beside me. And when I’m anxious and stressed-out, a call from a friend will surely always assure me that everything will be alright.

It has the power to connect people. The telephone. And although the debate on who really invented it remains to be resolved, one thing is certain. Whether it’s Mr. Bell or Mr. Meucci, there is no doubt that this wonderful piece of equipment continues to have a tremendous impact in our lives. It connects us to the people we love, and it makes our world smaller. In our hands, we are afforded the power to communicate to others. And that fact is indisputable.

Thank you, telephone. Happy birthday!

*****

Happy Birthday Barbie

When you grew up in a lower-middle class family like I did, where your family’s typical shopping list is always pared down to a veritable “Survivor: Thunder Bay” must-have-or-else basics (meaning, food and clothes), you can be assured that expensive toys aren’t included in the must-haves except for Christmas when my parents would pile on the prezzies and we would usually get the #1 gift we prayed for. We were seldom upset on Christmas morning. Somehow my mother and father always had money around Christmas time. Us kids didn't ask too many questions. We just opened the presents and lived every second of it.

Believe me, names of toys are stricken off the shopping list before pen even meets paper. And that includes the most celebrated doll of our time, who incidentally celebrated her 50th birthday yesterday. I don't ever recall seeing one in our home while growing up.

I LOVE BARBIE.

Now, I may be gay, but NEVER in my life have I ever imagined myself playing with girly doll. As popular as the 'less than a pound in weight' plastic femme fatale figurine was back then (and, apparently, till now), I never asked for or owned a Barbie, let alone DARED to take one of my sisters 'fake' Barbies when I was a young boy. Barbie did nothing for me until I became an adult. Now I love Barbie and what she represents.

She's the ultimate fag hag with her own bloody motor home. Barbie has the Bling Bling too.

Lucky bitch. Barbie's sooooo loaded.

And the girl can dress up a storm and somehow her shoes ALWAYS match her bag. It's like a little miracle every time she steps out of her Barbie Salon looking as young as the day her first toxic petroleum body form was extruded from the first plastics mold machine from ancient times long gone by. She's hot!

My sister was a complete monster to me and we never played together. Hahaha. We did try to kill each other a few times. Ahhh, good times. Great memories.....

I say, not that boys and dolls are a bad thing. Quite the opposite in fact. If I had boys of my own, I'd let them have and be whatever they wanted to be.

It’s just that it was never my thing. I was a real boys boy.

Rough and tumble and I loved it.

Besides, there are certain things that you didn't do in my house. Like, getting caught with a doll OR a teddy bear in my hand. My dad STOLE my teddy bear time and time again and finally gave it away to my cousins. We went there for dinner once and I was playing downstairs in theor dark gloomy damp basement and lo and behold I see my precious teddy bear on the floor WET from the water tank run off. My dad was such an evil prick for taking my bear because it ended up alone on the floor....WET! I STILL can't talk about it with my mother without getting very upset. I was only FIVE years old. I'll never forgive him for taking my bear. I still see it on the basement floor.

My bear.

You simply DO NOT see boys playing with dolls where I'm from. I didn’t 'fit' in Thunder Bay.

Like, right now, I tried to picture myself with a Barbie at hand as a kid, dressing her up with all those frilly pretty dresses and things like that…shoes and jewels not to mention her hair.

NO WAY! It was not for me, although…

I do remember my friends deliciously manly muscled GI Joe 'figurine' which always gave me a bit of a stir inside.... and I distinctly remember being so disappointed when I finally checked down his camouflage pants and found that GI Joe had no penis. Just a bump, like Barbie's bump. Just a plastic bump.

Hot sexy manly GI Joe who has no penis.

I so wanted him to have a penis. My first real disappointment as a gay kid.

Even as a small boy, I knew what I wanted.

Oh Oh Oh!

Now THIS is talent!
LOVE IT!!!!!

Supreme Court Wrestles With Prop 8

Feeling so great after two weeks of heavy gym training

Dear Readers,

Off the mark, I'd just like to invite you all to read my latest article on Victorina called "WHO Is Chikatime?(pt1)", which has just been posted. Have a great weekend! (link to Victorina on blog left)

And this from the California Capital.

California's ban on Same-Sex Marriages got its day in court yesterday. Attorneys on both sides of the Prop 8 issue spent three hours giving oral arguments to the State Supreme Court in San Francisco.

The court is reviewing three lawsuits challenging the voter approved initiative that changed the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

In their questioning of the legal teams, the justices asked if the public may have been confused about the ballot question last November.

But, Lead attorney for the "Yes on Prop 8" side, Ken Starr said the measure was clear and concise and he urged the court to allow the "vote of the people" to stand.

"Yes, we have to assume that this is before the voters and that the voters have informed themselves or otherwise we live in a nihilistic world," Starr said. "This is an issue that was widely discussed and debated by the polity."

Civil Rights Attorney Gloria Allred and others asked the court to overturn the same sex marriage ban. They said it was unfair for the majority to discriminate against a minority population of gays and lesbians. The court is expected to rule within 90 days.

There is nothing I believe in more then the rights for all people to marry the person they love regardless of their genders.

It's NOT a religious thing.

It's a human thing.

Can You Help?

Our Appeal for Compassion

MGen. Renato Miranda(ret)

Dear Readers,

Thank you soooo much to the wonderful people who have already contributed to our Delia Miranda Cancer Therapy Fund. But we're not done yet I'm afraid. I'm appealing once again to my dear readers, to help this lady in need. I feel a special connection with her now, so please give if you can. The amount is irrelevant because every single peso helps relieve the agonizing stress away from her good husband. Thank you again to my readers who have given. You'll get straight into heaven, I'm sure.

From Amiel Aguilar Cabanlig (Victorina Blog)

It doesn't come much simpler than this. And although we are appealing to your compassion, we hope that your compassion comes from enlightenment and shared conviction.

Gen. Renato Miranda is man of steel. His military record is best manifested by the loyalty of his men. He is locked right now inside a small and cramped detention center for being on the side of truth and freedom. He is not complaining, as he knew that sacrifices like his are small compared to the cause.

But Gen. Miranda is fighting for a valuable life – that of his wife and mother of his children. Mrs. Delia Miranda is going through a very deadly battle with cancer. She is undergoing treatment which costs about P180,000 every three weeks. Her maintenance medicines and other costs of treatment amount to about twenty thousand per month.

Since the good general is in detention, he is helpless when it comes to raising funds for the medical costs of cancer treatment. He has appealed repeatedly to the Magdalo Party and the Philippine Government.

But his appeals were either ignored or rejected.

We are now appealing to all of us who believe in the cause of freedom. Gen. Miranda sacrificed his own freedom so that we may see the truth, as a result, he is powerless to help his cancer-stricken wife.

Any amount is appreciated. You can deposit your donation to Mrs. Delia Miranda's bank account:

Mrs. Delia G.Miranda
Metrobank
Real Branch
Calamba City
Account No. 3378500398

CHARGED!

Brown looking grim during court proceedings


Brown facing the judge today during his court appearance for battery

Chris Brown was officially charged today with, well beating the living daylights out of his girlfriend/fiance/bride(?) Rihanna. Brown was actually charged with assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats. He really smacked Rihanna around leaving her screaming and nearly unconscious. WTF?

The young man once praised for his Michael Jackson-esque dance moves is described in a detective's affidavit as punching his girlfriend, biting her ear and trying to choke her until she nearly lost consciousness.

You could say I was in shock when the account was made public this afternoon.
I was on the treadmill when it first appeared on CNN and I could not look away.
Biting and scratching, punching and kicking?
A mouthful of blood which splattered all over her gown.
I mean, it's sooooo detailed.

It's so tragic.
Chris Brown was my favorite singer.
He'll go to jail.
No question.
As he should.

photos-Toronto Sun

One Year Ago

walking into the water on beautiful Boracay this time last year

Dear Readers,

I left beautiful Boracay one year ago today.
Such an amazing place.
Thank you to the person responsible for taking this picture of me on the beach.
It's so special.
And I want to thank my mates from Boracay for all the beautiful birthday wishes, from the bottom of my heart.

My Facebook was totally INSANE for three days.
I loved it!

bx