By now you would have heard or read a lot about the Fab 5 coming to town, invited over by the Ayala Malls. Last year, I had the privilege of meeting the Fab 2, Thom Filicia and Kyan Douglas, along with their managers Michael Flutie and Michael Connell. When I was in New York last year I hung out with them and introduced them to Filipino international bag designer Rafe Totengco whose bags they have used in their TV show. Kyan told me, “That’s my favorite bag!”

I again had the privilege of emceeing their show at the Greenbelt 3 and hanging out with them. After the show and after-party, a companion and I met up with them at the Makati Shangri-La Horizon floor. Carson was chatting up with an Arab man who kept telling him, “I am straight!” Carson replied, “Prove it,” so the guy called his wife in Saudi Arabia. Carson had to tell the surprised wife, “Your husband told me you can buy all the Louis Vuitton you want!”

The next night I was invited to a private dinner for the Fab 5 hosted by one of my closest friends (and oldest—we were classmates in I.S. from Grade 1 onward), Kit Zobel, at the new Serendra, which looks like the next big thing. We ate at Nelia Silverio-Dee’s Guava, where the food was fantastic. It was so good that I had to ask Kyan, who ate about six pieces of pritchon (Peking duck-style lechon), “I thought you were a vegetarian?” And he answered, “I thought so, too!”

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel where we just stayed by the pool. There, the Fab 5 were in a relaxed mood as we spoke about everything, from celebrities they’ve met to their work and love life. As I was writing this, I read on the Internet that the executives of TV network Bravo were still debating whether to renew “Queer Eye” in the US after its 100th episode. Well, like you, I’m hoping it will be renewed.

Most of the guys left Saturday evening, along with their managers Michael Flutie, Michael Connel and Amit Zev (this handsome and straight 24-year-old, who works for Flutie Agency, should be an actor himself). While saying goodbye at the Horizon Floor, Thom and Ted tried to play a practical joke on Kyan. In one of the books they had to sign, they posted a note for Kyan, stating “You are ugly. You are dumb.” Everyone naturally had a good laugh.

Ted Allen and his partner Barry Rice stayed on to travel to Vietnam and Thailand. They have plans to come back in March next year, this time to experience other places like Cebu and Boracay.

My time with them was really refreshing, since they are all down-to-earth, funny and great individuals. Surely, they enjoyed the food and the shopping part of their sojourn, but most importantly, they expressed their good feelings that the Filipinos are “simply the best.”