Her journal, his colognes

Ralph Malibunas (left) and Gail Banawis

Singer Gail Banawis and actor Ralph Malibunas used to live in New York in the United States and Paris in France, respectively, before trying their luck in “Pinoy Big Brother” (PBB) a couple of years ago. They may not have won in the popular reality TV show, but they gained a fan base eager to find out more about their young idols.

Ten years ago while she was still in New York, Gail started journaling after seeing “aesthetic bloggers” on social media stuff their diaries with all sorts of souvenirs. She asked her mom to buy her a Moleskine notebook and began writing down entries.

“I didn’t expect to enjoy it and that I’d end up filling almost all of the pages. I would attach random things to the pages like soda can tabs, receipts and food labels. It’s crazy to think these things were from 10 years ago,” she said.

She spotted the journal again during a visit to her family earlier this year and decided to take it back with her. Her best friend visited and Gail let her read some of the entries out loud.

“She found them riveting, which I thought was surprising because I was only letting off steam when I first wrote them down. That’s when I decided to read the entries I’d made in the last few months on my computer. I realized that some feelings remained the same.”

In one of her journal entries, Gail wrote how she wanted to be locked in a room with her crush so they would have no other choice except to talk. “It’s still who I am internally. Some things never change and sometimes, that’s completely OK.”

Gail’s Moleskine journal

She said she takes out her old journal and rereads the entries. “It’s easy to lose sight of how far you’ve come, so it’s good to be able to look back every once in a while.”

She keeps the journal in a box at home that contains other memorabilia she plans to use for scrapbooking and journaling.

Private joke

For Ralph Malibunas, his collection of fragrances is his favorite thing because it reminds him of his mother and his time in France.

Before he moved back to the Philippines, Ralph worked as a nanny and house cleaner in France. His mother is a domestic helper. His decision to try his luck first in PBB and now as an actor was prompted because he wanted his mother to come home and stop working abroad as a helper.

Ralph’s colognes

“Every time my mom would go to the open market in Paris, she would always buy me different colognes because they’re way cheaper. We have a private joke that even if she buys the fragrances at the open market, they still smell rich—amoy mayaman (laughs).”

Ralph likes wearing different scents because when people tell him he smells good, it boosts his confidence. “I keep them at home where I can always see them.” INQ