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by GNN, the Gaz News Network. Please link to this page; do not copy and paste.

At 1030 am yesterday Gaz Holgate visited Amado T. Reyes Elementary School in Buayang Bato, Mandaluyong to assist in National Book Store Foundation’s Project Aral.

Gaz gave a short talk to the 133 pupils of the school, which is located right beside the Pasig River. The school buildings will soon undergo renovation in order to accommodate more students. National Book Store will build the school’s new library.

Kids are a tough audience, but they perked up when Gaz gave a demonstration of basic rugby skills.

Afterwards Gaz distributed Project Aral kits containing notebooks and pencils to the children from the 1st to the 6th grades. National Book Store Foundation has donated school supplies and books to public schools from Saranggani to the Babuyan Islands.

The next hour was spent posing for pictures, then signing the kids’ new notebooks, shirts, and arms (Lagot kayo sa mga nanay ninyo). Bubbles noted Gaz’s excellent swarm algorithm—he could not turn without being covered in children. (As Noel observed: Para siyang bata na tinubuan ng katawan.)

Afterwards we had lunch at the head office of National Bookstore on Pioneer Street. Gaz met Nanay Socorro Ramos, the woman who founded the country’s largest bookstore chain 70 years ago.

“Okay ah, hinahalikan lahat ng nakikilala,” (Okay, he kisses everyone he’s introduced to) Nanay noted.

“Pagsabihan po namin na tigilan niya yan?” (Should we tell him to stop?)

“Huwag, pero baka mahawa siya kung may sakit. (No, but he could catch germs.) How old are you, 18?”

“23, ma’am.”

“I’m 88,” Nanay announced. We can only hope to be as energetic as she is when we’re 60.

Special thanks to Bea and Chad of National Book Store Foundation for making the school visit happen. (It was scheduled for last week but typhoon Pedring cancelled it.)

* * * * *
Gaz factoids.
1. For the school visit he wore a white T-shirt by Sisley, Levi’s cutoffs, white Fred Perry sneakers and Wayfarers.
2. Gaz is a moviegoer. Today he mentioned Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.
3. Naturally he is rooting for Wales in the Rugby World Cup. (In tomorrow’s match we’re pro-Ireland!)

by GNN, the Gaz News Network

Duckface was free most of the day so he went to the gym, then he bought a pair of dress shoes. We’ve already mentioned his shoes, right? Ferragamo, call us.

Team Gaz had dinner at Escolta at the Peninsula Manila with GMA Network management (L-R): Annette Gozon, Tracy Garcia, and Arsi Baltazar. During dinner Tracy looked at Gaz and said, “You look like someone. An actor. What was that movie?”

Watch out in 5, 4, 3, 2. . .

“Phone Booth! Colin Farrell.”

Average number of times this resemblance is mentioned per day: 10.5. Colin, please call us so we can explain personally.

Then Gaz had to get ready for the Esquire launch at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Pen. In his haste he cut himself while shaving and bled onto his suit by J.C. Buendia. He wore his own skinny tie, which he knotted like a good public school boy.

Gaz was escorting Lovi Poe to the Esquire event. (Gaz will appear in the music video for the first song off her third album.) Lovi was supposed to wear a debutante-type gown (like a cake) but she ditched it for something that was more her style. She looks stunning, no?

“Don’t leave your date, okay. Put your hand on the small of her back,” we told Gaz.

“Can I do that?” he said.

“Can he do that?” we asked Lovi.

“Okay,” Lovi said.

“Thanks mom,” Gaz said.

“Stupid child, we might as well tell you. Colin Farrell is your father.”

* * * * *

Gaz factoids.
1. He wears size 9 (UK) shoes.
2. He’s learning Nihongo, spoken and written.
3. He sings songs that are older than he is—Don’t Stop Believing by Journey, You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi—in karaoke bars, but he will not sing on TV.

Photo by Phil Walter in IHT/NYT

The All Blacks are going to win anyway. Just making things more interesting. Why did it have to be Daniel Carter!

Thanks to Jaime for the alert.

WELLINGTON — It was the nightmare scenario that no one in New Zealand wanted to contemplate. But the unthinkable happened over the weekend when Daniel Carter tore his groin and was ruled out of the Rugby World Cup.

It is an instinct he has honed over eight years and 85 games of international rugby for New Zealand — not to mention the countless other matches he has played for his Crusaders Super Rugby franchise and Canterbury provincial team — that will be missed the most by the All Blacks in the coming weeks. At the same time, Carter’s absence can only give a jolt in confidence to New Zealand’s opponents…

Read The Challenge for All Blacks: Replace Carter in the NYT.

By GNN, the Gaz News Network

Yesterday Gaz had the first press conference of his life at La Mesa Grill in Quezon City. How is it possible that until Tuesday Gareth Holgate never had a press conference in his life? It was more nerve-wracking than a big match, but he got through it. It helped that Solenn Heussaff showed up to introduce him to the media, which was très, très cool of her.

“How did he do?” we asked Leo.

“Of course everyone fell in love with him.”

We have text messages from some of the media present calling him “too adorable for words”.

Having survived his first press conference, Gaz had his first proper photo shoot ever. How is it possible that until Tuesday Gareth Holgate never had a proper photo shoot? It is a mystery.

Gaz was photographed by Ronnie Salvacion. The clothes were by J.C. Buendia. We can’t wait to see the pictures. We caught up with him after the four-hour shoot as he was wiping off his make-up.

“What did the reporters ask you?”

“They asked me what the sexiest part of my body is.”

“What did you say?”

“I don’t know.”

We joined Team Gaz for dinner at the Edsa Shangri-La, then they were off to their next meeting. Very busy first day. Tomorrow he gets the morning off.

Tune in tomorrow for more information about Gaz than anyone needs.

* * * * *
Gaz factoids
1. We are very judgmental about shoes, so we are happy to report that Gaz has good shoes. And that he does not go out wearing flip-flops, although the fact that we kept saying “Do Not Wear flip-flops” may have something to do with that.
2. His hometown is a little village in North Wales called Gwaenysgor.
3. During his gap year he and five friends backpacked across South America.

by GNN, the Gaz News Network

Gaz Holgate arrived in Manila last night. His rugby team Kyuden Voltex in Fukuoka, Japan is on a two-week break, and he’s here on a working vacation.

He’s doing several photo shoots and interviews and appearing on television shows. Also he’s representing us at the Esquire launch because if we were a guy, we would totally look like that.

Gaz is doing volunteer work for two organizations that focus on kids: ChildHope Asia, which helps street children, and National Bookstore Foundation, which promotes literacy and readership awareness among Filipino children.

Our favorite Fil-Welsh professional athlete has just signed with talent manager Leo Dominguez. We know Leo and we know Gaz, and we think the combination is brilliant. Leo has steered the careers of some of today’s biggest stars, and not only does Gaz have star tattoos, we know The Force is strong in this one.

Gaz is holding a press conference at 11 am today in Quezon City, then he’s doing a portfolio shoot. Tune in every day for your Gaz fix.

* * * * *

Gaz factoids.
1. His first job was working on a farm when he was 12.
2. He graduated from the same prep school his father attended.
3. He was born in Wales and spent his formative years in the Philippines (Valle Verde), Singapore and Borneo (Kota Kinabalu).

Several months ago, after a discussion on the manliest subject possible (Temptation Island the Joey Gosiengfiao classic), Erwin Romulo asked me if I could write for the Philippine edition of Esquire that he was putting together.

I said, Sure.

He asked me what I wanted to write about.

I knew I didn’t want to write about movies, books, cats and myself because I already cover those in my columns in the Philippine Star and interaksyon.com. And there’s no point in writing yet another column unless you’re entertaining yourself. So I said, Uh…sports?

Erwin said Okay.

Esquire Philippines launches officially on October 5, but it’s out in stores and newsstands Now. (Cover price: P195)

My column is called Wide World Of Pain, or WWOP. If you’re surprised at the subject matter of my first piece for Esquire, you are not a regular reader of this site OR you are trying out the word “disingenuous”.

Thanks to my editors Erwin Romulo and Jerome Gomez for allowing the article to seriously overrun the 800-word requirement. The photos are by Brewhuh23, the chronicler of boredom and myself.

Those are my glasses Oliver Saunders is wearing. Revenge of the Nerds part 13: Make the jocks wear geeky glasses.