Facing the Music…
I’m quite fortunate that I’ve been surrounded by beautiful company, whether it be inside or outside. I mean take for example, my wife is a former Ms. Roosevelt winner, my friends Beth and Rica were beauty contest participants, Ms. Pampanga and Ms. AMA respectively. My friend Madel is an Emirates Airline flight stewardess, Michelle was taken for a jewel advertisement, Ruth was Mr. Dick Gordon’s associate and there are so much more to mention. I’m not so picky with people, its just coincidence that they seem to be head-turners. Even luckier that I share the same breathing space and have shared some great stories or moments with them.
Anyways, we know how critical we are about the way we look; it’s always the first thing we see in a person, unless you are more into the online dating scene, how your online counterpart looks like plays a big role when you guys meet. Anyways, there is always the pressure to look good in front of these people; however this is not the burden I carry. The attitude, "always be yourself" and display self confidence is the thing that carries me when I am with them. There was a time however where I was so conscious about the way I look and I wasn’t always so confident and full of it. It was during the time from September until late January when I really took a beat down on my confidence level. Honestly speaking I was a facial mess and when I mean a mess, you would have thought that Pacquiao’s last opponent would look better after the beat down he’d take from him. It was horrible because I was very dependent on the way I look and unfortunately, the way I look was not what others would see now. I had large pimples which ached a lot when it was growing; it took forever to mature and was always lumpy. Aside from this, the scars it would leave on my previously unblemished face, was a constant reminder that I was not looking my best; the blemishes would simply not fade. Every moment I woke up, I always kept telling myself that things will always turn out right, looking in front of the mirror proved me otherwise. My self-esteem was low and everyone was asking what was happening to me. I believe that the sun and beach was good for me and since there was Vitamin E and salt water for drying up those nasty bumps. Wrong again, this whole beach activity actually dug my grave. Fine, I was in a state of depression and the beach always brought me back to a better (well sometimes better) state of mind but it was not the best thing for my skin.
So when I went home last December 23, my Mom saw me and was quite shocked to find out how bad my condition was. My Mom was looking great and my state was almost the same as Marlon, my younger brother. As of now, we are both recovering but it was sad to see that I was very conscious about the way I looked. My best friend Mike even made it worse by commenting what the "hell" happened to me. My Mom shouldered the tab for my treatment and it wasn’t the easy. It was painful and bloody, not to mention mind numbing of the amount of dirt you can actually get on your face. For the first time in my life, I had two soaps, whitening tablets and a routine to do for my face. Never in my life would I think of being vain but for me to get better, I actually had to do this. It wasn’t being vain actually, it was because the skin is more sensitive that we think, after all, the skin is the largest organ of the human body, it should be cared for most. After spending close to 900AED, I went through this facial procedure; it was only the beginning of a tedious road to recovery. I was under constant threat for the past 3 years being out on the field, I couldn’t easily reverse the damage, trying to have it repaired in 3 weeks, was an impossible task.
Since arriving early January, I had to go through the routine and with a little help of proper hygiene; things did get better for me. I’m already past the half way mark and I did buy new products to help me. Now, it’s just blemishes, hopefully, I’ll get that radiant glow back. During the time I got back, some friends did comment on the improvement, at the end of the day, I got my confidence back regardless of how I looked. My friends accepted me the way I was and nothing did change with the way I interacted with any of them. As for now, I accept the fact that it isn’t only women who go through great lengths to look good. Men now consider looking good as a key component in their lives, is it because they are all becoming metrosexuals? The cosmetic industry is now a billion dollar industry since the men started to get more involved with their appearance. To end it all, to look like a million dollars, all you have to do is think and feel like one, a million dollars can never make you.