When Josh Meets Adam

Eric: Apply as a barista. So that you can be like whenboymeetsboy.

This got me dumbfounded. I was chatting with my friend Eric, and we were doing some catching up. He’s one of my cyberfriends I’ve met before going to London.

Malay mo, you might meet your Wei, or Jagger. I just looked at his IM, still confused. What the hell is he blabbering about?

To end my confusion, he sent me this link: http://whenboymeetsboy.blogspot.com

Click.

So apparently, it’s about this bloke named Adam who is a gay guy with an extraordinary story. His story breaks borders, as he narrates his story of falling in and out of love, from the bustling streets of Manila to the English pubs in London.

Eric: Better read this Josh. You might relate to this, especially since he’s in London right now.

That got me hooked up. So for the next two days, I did nothing but to read, and read, and read… on the Tube, on the bus, during break at work, and at school… I just read like I am some athlete running like hell to the finish line. Good thing T-Mobile’s internet never failed me. But sometimes, having an actual book to read while on the Central line can be great, as with other commuters on the Tube. So I think I will buy a copy of it if it were to be published.

I’ve craved for every upcoming chapter. It had a drug-like effect, wherein I get restless when Adam didn’t update for 2 or more days. All the while, I’ve preached like a prophet to my cyberfriends so that Adam can have a couple more followers.

And yes, after two days, I finally finished all three books. It wasn’t easy, as I started reading it like a week before my final exams, and yeah, you know how my priorities were slanted to anything not related to revising and studying.

I might stick out like a sore thumb, but Book 3 is my favourite book. I’ve asked some of my friends, and they said that they can’t relate much to it because it’s in a different setting altogether. They were still clinging to the fact that Andre might come back, or Brandon might change his ways. However, it’s just the total opposite for me.

Before I hear protests, I’d like to say that I also fancied Adam’s adventures as he fell in and out of love in the urban jungles of Katipunan and Makati, but still…  London’s different. I almost died when I was reading the part where Adam and Lorenzo were dating in Trafalgar Square, as well as when Adam and Jagger were having the time of their lives in the Big Ben and the London Eye. Mind you that after reading the post about Adam and Lorenzo, I headed off to Trafalgar Square with Falling Slowly playing on my iPod while doing some reflecting. What is fanboydom.

As much as I’d like to shout it all out, no one can understand my delight as Adam portrayed the places in the most visited city in the world very accurately. From the adventures in Hammersmith, Acton Town, and to the escapades in Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, and Kingston upon Thames, I just can’t stop smiling as his descriptions were totally spot on.

Adam, Wei, and Jagger. Yes, as Book 3’s my favourite book, it should be proper that all of my favourite characters come from his London tales.

Wei… this cute barista boy in Costa Coffee just made me swoon for reasons I can’t really comprehend. Was it because of the Twister game… or was it because of his very cute face hidden behind the black rectangle that’s covering his eye?

And there’s Jagger. The guy who built walls to hide his true nature. Adam successfully transformed this hard-hearted guy into a kind and caring man. There was a month-long debate happening between me and my friend since he was in Team Jagger, and I was in Team Wei. But then, as soon as Adam posted his date with Jagger at Modern Tate, the tides have turned. I finally conceded.

I do have to ask myself… how can I relate to Adam? Well, aside from the fact that he went to London to study (just like me), he’s the type of bloke who isn’t up to one night stands. He’s a person who wants a genuine relationship… a situation of giving and receiving to the person whom he cares most about. And his optimism for the world. Since it still has this tendency to treat us like we’re some freaks of nature, Adam narrated his story to show that gays can be loved by their parents, friends, and other peers.

There are a couple of things I got from reading WBMB aside from the fact that I have to go and visit Windsor Castle and drop by to the nearby town of Hounslow. It has given me hope in pursuing love. Adam’s chronicles had taught me that love can come from all places, and unexpected ones at that. It has also given me hope about gay relationships. Rather than giving us the stereotypical descriptions of how a gay's mind works, he portrayed himself as someone who has a mindset that a gay relationship can just work as well as heterosexual relationships… it just needs time, effort, and a little bit of optimism.

And how did it change me? Let’s just say if it weren’t for Adam’s blog, Josh the Travelogue Boy wouldn’t exist. I was satisfied hiding in the comforts of my dummy YM account and talking to a few PLUs. Adam changed that altogether. He made me think... if he can tell his story, why can’t I? You see, I’ve been blogging since 2005, but it’s just now that the drive to write became stronger…. To share my experiences to other gay bloggers out there.

Even though Adam returned to Manila already, I still know that deep in my heart, that a few months ago, in the most diverse city in the European Union, something magical was happening in the high streets of the West End.

And now, if my life can only be just as exciting as that.

P.S. I can't wait for Book 4 Adam.

Cheers,
Josh