I will start with Yasmien Kurdi since she is a popular movie and tv personality. She was in the cast of a movie that my husband produced in 2012 and since I tagged along in some of their shooting days so I got to know her. She calls me Tita, to mean aunt or auntie. Yasmien has charm especially when she smiles but she admitted that she is kind of grouchy sometimes. She introduced me to her companion, her best friend. On the next shooting day, Yasmien was alone. And where was her friend? They were not in good terms. Hahahaaa.
My next entry for this thread is Leo Martinez. He is a comedian who was very popular some 3 decades ago. He now heads the Film Academy of the Philippines in his capacity as Director General. Mr. Martinez is a learned man, well educated the most popular schools namely La Salle and Ateneo. My encounters with him are during occasions only but he got to know me very well. In fact, when we meet in a mall or in a restaurant, he would be the first one to greet me as if I was the celebrity and not him. Okay, here is the photo of Leo Martinez. That guy standing is Rez Cortez, a popular character actor who is a good villain when it comes to roles in the movies.
I have not even known any famous people, let alone had any for a friend. It seems to me like it would be hard to have an actual close friendship with someone who was famous. My friends have just been regular everyday people, and that is perfectly fine with me. Most of my friends are ones that I have known for years; although some are newer ones that I have made along life's way. One of my most memorable friends was my horse-back riding friend in Idaho. I had just gone through a really horrible time in my life, and was struggling along, trying to pick up whatever pieces were left to be picked up. I had an old singlewide trailer, and had to haul water, and worked at a job that I hated , cooking in a large commercial kitchen. My weekly joy was my day off, when I went out to my friend's little cabin, and we would go trailriding out into the beautiful Idaho mountains. We talked as we rode, and my friend Gib did me more good than any paid counselor could have done, and slowly, I mended and became a whole person again. We rode on steep mountain trails that I would never have dared try myself, and I eventually started riding his mule, which was more surefooted than any horse that I have ever ridden, and never spooked at anything like horses do. After our rides, we would barbeque chicken and sit out on the deck in the sunset and have dinner together, and then Gib would take out his guitar and we would sing songs until it was time for me to go home and take care of my own chores. Sometimes, friends come and go in our lives; but I am so very glad that I had this friend at a time in my life when I really and truly needed a good friend.