An interview with surfer and entrepreneur Luke Landrigan over buko juice.
Warning: No shirt was used during the entire sit down.
Hello, friends! First of all,
Happy Valentine’s Day to everybody! Enjoy the day with your lovah. Enjoy it while
it lasts! Haha! Next, allow me to thank you all for being here in my blog to
check out the first Drinks with Denise
interview which I’m really excited to share with you. If you’ve been following
me on social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook), I’ve been planning this lil
feature on my blog since late last year, and finally, I’m premiering it today.
This won’t be your typical nice, clean, highly edited Q&A. I will tend to
leave all the interviews raw as I can because I want you guys to get to know
these people I shall feature better; the more candid they get, the more
interesting it will all be.
So, let’s begin, shall we?
Let
me give you a brief background on the first person I had drinks with for this
feature. Luke Landrigan is gorgeous! Let’s just put it out there. Tanned, fit,
he’s easy on the eyes. But there’s more to this pro-surfer than how he wears his board shorts (read: super low). He’s also a dotting father and an
accomplished and very hands-on resort owner. You can see him daily, manning the
San Juan Surf Resort and Surf School, nit-picking on the littlest details like
making sure that the flower pots are clean from cigarette butts, and that the
tables of their restaurant, Coast Call Kitchen + Bar,
are spotless. Read on, as I asked him a few unguarded questions that he gamely
answered over his favorite drink, which would be buko (Coconut) juice.
How did we meet?
His version:
Luke: Donavon(Frankenreiter) event di ba? Sa beach.
Tumugtog si Donavon dito sa San Juan years ago pero di kita nakita nung
concert, the next day lang nung nagsurf na pero hindi ka nagsurf.
Me: Nagsurf
ako!
Luke: Hindi
ka kaya nagsurf!
Me: Nagsurf
ako pero yun yung time na lagi akong natutumba kasi sobrang unhealthy ko nun.
Luke: Pero
ngayon okay na? Naeenjoy mo na magsurf? Healthy ka narin kumain.
Me: Oo.
Luke: Medyo?
Ha ha! Ayun, dun tayo unang nagkakilala tapos sabi mo nun babalik ka pero after
three years ka na bumalik.
Denise: Ha?
Hindi ata tama yan.
Luke: Three
years yun! 2011 pa kaya si Donavon nagpunta dito. Hindi ba yun yung first?
During Donavon Frankenreiter's visit at San Juan Surf Resort
Luke with a 'stache
My version:
I can’t remember exactly the first time that Luke and I officially
met. He’s probably right though. We might have met the day after Donavon’s
concert in San Juan. A bunch of us media people were transported there for the
gig and a day of surfing, which was hosted by Luke’s surf school. I attempted
to surf and I was bad! I failed big time because I remember being so unhealthy.
After that attempt, I thought that the sport wasn't for me, but I’m glad that I
gave it another chance and now I’m so hooked to it. Anyway, I met Luke while I
was resting from that grueling surf session, and I asked my photographer friend
Mark Ang to take a photo of me with him. I remember he ripped the back of his
shorts and that you can actually see part of his butt cheek. Ahhh! Well… Haha!
Then we got to talk, he was trying to convince me that surfing is good for my
body, that it’s fun, yadda yadda, but I was so closed minded at that time, and I've decided that I will never like it but obviously, I was wrong and that he’s right. I think we've become
friends after that.
Injured Luke. He wasn't able to surf when we first met. Photo op na lang. The friendship started here.
As a post birthday gift, he taught me how to surf. He's a very good and strict surf instructor which challenged me to focus more while we were in the water.
What makes you mad and how do you deal with
it?
Luke: I don’t like
inconsiderate people. Yung mga taong hindi iniisip yung ginagawa o sinasabi
nila kung nakakasakit na sila ng ibang tao. Yung feelings lang nila yung
iniisip nila. How do I deal with it? Umaalis ako. I have to do something
physical para makalimutan ko.
Me: Physical? Nanununtok ka?
Luke: Hindi naman. Magdadrive ako, magmomotor ako, maghahike ako, o
magsusurf ako, para maclear lang yung mind ko. Although naaapektohan lang ako
kapag yung taong medyo inconsiderate e yung sobrang kilala ko na, or kaya
family ko, yun, nagagalit talaga ako. Pero kung hindi ko kakilala, okay lang.
Have you ever thought of entering showbiz? If yes, what kind of
actor would you HAVE WANTED TO be?
Luke: Nung mga early 20s, nung nakikita ko na may mga pumupuntang mga
artista dito sa resort ng madalas tapos ang gaganda ng mga gamit nila, ang
ganda ng mga kotse, ng mga surfboards, naisip ko “Langya, sarap ng mga buhay
nitong mga ‘to a!” Tapos lahat ng mga girls kinikilig sa kanila sabi ko mukang
yun yung dream job na gusto ng mga lalaki. Pero naisip ko lang naman yun, di ko
rin naman sineryoso, di naman nagtagal. Eventually, habang tumatanda na ako,
narealize ko na mukang hindi pala ganun kasaya tapos narealize ko rin na hindi ako
marunong kumanta at sumayaw, kaya ayan, sa dagat na lang ako. And I realized
also that it’s not that fun that wherever you go, dinudumog ka ng tao, wala ka
ng privacy. Tapos may gawin ka na konting mali lang, talagang lagot ka. Tsaka
feeling ko minsan yung iba, hindi na sila yun, parang bawat kilos nila,
ginagawa na lang nila para sa ibang tao.
Anung klaseng artista? Putik, okay ‘to a. Ala Robin Padilla, yun ang
gusto ko! Idol ko yun. Swabe! Grabe, first time ko nakita si Robin, napahinto
talaga ako, ang gwapo talaga nya! Mahahalikan ko yun e. Ha ha!
Me: Alam mong ilalagay ko ‘to di ba?
Luke: Oo! Lagay mo! Sana nga mabasa nya e. Ang gwapo mo, chong! Labyu,
pare! Ha ha!
Me: WE LOVE YOU, ROBIN!
What’s the best thing about being a father?
Luke: Nung nagkaanak ako, mas inisip ko yung future, mas
pinaghahandaan ko sha. Mas naging responsible ako. Pero yung isa sa
pinakafavorite ko sa pagiging daddy, tuwing umaga, nagigising ako sa kiss ni
Kai, ikikiss nya lang ako sa cheeks.
Me: Sigurado kang si Kai yun?
Luke: Si Kai yun. Si Kai lang ang katabi ko. Ha ha.
Me: Okay haha.
Kai and Luke
Luke: Gustong gusto ko rin yung nagsusurf kami. Naaalala ko nung bata
ako, tinuturuan ako magsurf ng dad ko. Basta yung mga little moments ko with
Kai, ang saya lang talaga. Tsaka kapag hinahatid ko sha sa school nya, tapos
andun yung mga ibang daddies, kwento kwento kami, pinapanuod namin yung mga
kids namin. Sarap! Sarap ng feeling. Instant vitamins din kasi, kapag pagod
ako tapos nakikita ko si Kai, sumasaya ako. Somehow, I feel that I’m still an
irresponsible dad compared to some dads I know na full on fathers talaga, alam
ko na hindi ko kasi kayang gawin yun. Hindi ko alam kung bakit. Kung ganun lang
ba talaga ako? Or baka dahil sa lifestyle ko? But I try. I really do try to
always be with my son as much as I can.
What is one thing that you want to do with your life before TURNING 40?
Luke: Get married.
Me: Talaga? E bakit nung isang araw lang sabi mo…
Luke: Wag mo ng kontrahin, moment ko to e!
Me: Ah okay. Sorry, sorry. Ha ha! So bakit?
Luke: E ayoko naman na kasi na sa wedding pictures ko, uugod ugod na
ako. Papakasal ako kapag 60 na ako? Pa’no ang wedding pictures ko nun? Maliban
na lang kung kasing gwapo ko si George Clooney, pwede. Hindi mababaw ang rason
ko no? Ha ha!
Name three memorable songs in your life and why.
Luke: Alam mo, hindi ako music person.
Me: Kaya tumatawag ka sa akin para kantahan mo lang ako ng “Nasa Iyo
Na Ang Lahat?”
Luke: E yun yung latest kay Daniel Padilla e. But to answer your
question, isa siguro yung “Grow Old with You” kasi yun lang siguro yung
kabisado ko tsaka maiksi lang sha na song, tsaka feeling ko pasok yung tone ng
boses ko dun sa kanta. Ha ha! Next yung “Like a Stone” ng Audioslave kasi yun
yung favorite namin ng ex-girlfriend ko. Last, yung “With or Without You” ng U2
kasi yun yung kinakanta namin sa karaoke ng mga friends ko, yun yung isa sa mga
favorites namin.
"Ang hirap ng mga tanong mo. Napapaisip ako." - Lukas
Will you kiss a guy for a minute in exchange for a P100, 000?
Luke: No. I’ll only kiss a guy if in return, may mabubuhay na isang
tao or animal. Pero kung pera?! No f@#king way, man!
Why is buko juice your favorite drink?
Luke: Gusto mo talaga malaman kung ano yung rason?
Me: Oo.
Luke: Sabi kasi ng mga friends ko pampadami daw sha ng sperm.
Me: Uggghhh…Seryoso ba’to?!
Luke: Seryoso! Pampadami! Tsaka shempre refreshing sha, at pang
cleansing narin. Ha ha ha!
-End-
