My Life in Men’s Health

Well, I guess it’s already as official as can be: I’m no longer with Men’s Health Philippines. It was a fun, sometimes frustrating, sometimes infuriating, sometimes extremely rewarding ride. In short, my life in Men’s Health is everything I look for in a job.

To put closure in my tenure in the magazine (maybe in the future I’ll come back, but let’s leave that thought for now), I decided to condense my life in appreciable chunks so anyone who didn’t know what I do can sort of understand what I did while in the magazine.

Ready? Here we go...

Years in MH: Exactly 3 years (March 2005 – March 2008)

Number of editors I was under: 2 (Jeryc Garcia and Agu Paiso)

Number of colleagues (not including interns and contributors): 9–Jeryc and Agu, Carol Pajaron, Jomike del Rosario, Omar Glenn Belo, Mike Diez, Jad Melegrito, Raymond Abrenica, and Glen Concio (Glen’s the only remaining “original 3”)

Number of titles I held: 2 (Editorial Assistant and Assistant Section Editor)

Number of pages in the magazine I edited monthly: All of them, minus the ads

“Pet” section: MH Style. (The fashion and grooming pages were always mine to put together, edit, and style.)

Number of provinces—not counting Metro Manila, of course—I’ve been to for photoshoots: 7 (Subic, Bulacan, Batangas, Tagaytay, Boracay, Baguio, and Cebu)

Of those 7, number that was my first time: 1 (Cebu was the only place I haven’t been to prior)

Favorite cover: Jake Cuenca, followed by Dingdong Dantes, and then Dennis Trillo

Favorite foreign cover: Paul Walker

Favorite celeb editorial: Richard Gutierrez (Richard Gutierrez had a cover, but it’s for the Guide to Style special, so I don’t count that as a “cover” cover)

Favorite fashion editorial: Coat of Charms (August 2007), Tall Order (February 2007), and Fresh Perspectives (May 2008)

Favorite MH guys: Brent Javier, Luke Jickain, Gabb Drilon, Jon Mullally (now Avila) and Alfred Vargas

Favorite MH woman: Joyce Jimenez, hands down

Favorite MH story: Simplify your life

Favorite local MH story: Exit Strategies (MH Philippines November 2007, written by Ben Hernandez)

Favorite MH event: MH Urbanathlon

Favorite MH story that I wrote: The Spa Excursion (August 2006), The MH Grooming Awards (September 2007), 85 Best Foods for Men (May 2007), and Ahead of the Game (November 2007)

Least favorite fashion editorial: Merrier Than Thou (won’t say which month—but the title of the story kinda would tip you off, no?)

Longest-to-shoot fashion editorial: The MH Style Essentials (September 2005), 10AM – 9PM, and there were only 8 looks!

Favorite place to pull clothes for fashion eds: Glorietta and Greenbelt, although I started enjoying TriNoma several months before I left the magazine. Power Plant Mall only for Zara.

Priciest label I’ve pulled clothes from: Louis Vuitton

Favorite brands / labels to pull clothes from: Debenhams, Zara, Chivalry is Dead, Dean & Trent, Traffic, Springfield, and Celio

Fastest fashion editorial: April 2008 (2 hours)

Favorite item of clothing shown in my fashion editorials: Jackets and any form of outerwear—I know, I know, mainit. Whatever.

I’ll add some more soon!

By the way, I'm featured in Dean & Trent's profiles for this week. Thanks, Timmy, for the opportunity. I enjoyed answering your questions a lot!

Hello all.
Welcome to my second blog (first one a collaboration with friends).

This blog is meant for friends I left in the Philippines. I want them not to miss me. *grin* I'll post stuff about living here in New York / Philadelphia / New Jersey; work issues; and random ramblings.

For those who don't know me, I'm Myron. I lived a good deal of my life in the Philippines, working for a fantastic lifestyle magazine called Men's Health. (Yes, it's the local run of the famed US title.) I was the nutrition and style guy there—though I'd like to think my biggest contribution is in the style pages—but I had to leave after 3 years because I wanted to try my luck in the United States. I always tell everyone, this the the big picture for me. And I'm excited.

So, stay tuned for more posts. The first few posts would probably (or most likely) deal with my past photoshoots for Men's Health. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the style stories in the magazine get put together.

Thanks, and welcome.