The difference defined by Rockstars

I grew up dreaming of becoming a rockstar. In my dreams, I am. When i was a kid, while my parents are busy cooking and my brother is playing, I would imagine our living room as an open ground filled with screaming rock fans, and I - I am rocking out like Freddie Mercury whose music I grew up with. I still "do concerts" to this date - in the bathroom haha it's just a little toned down since it's a small venue (I'm not kidding). Seriously, I have big dreams of rock music while I was growing up but all those dreams where put aside when I entered college. I have little conviction back then so I was dragged to travel the road most traveled - graduate from college, enter the corporate world, and well, people say, get rich and successful. So here I am the one person who never liked anything conventional, staying traditional and tamed like a puppet.

I felt hopeless and down right immobile that I can't do what I want to do. Worst, I feel like I really don't deserve to be a rockstar - that I can't do it. I love music so much but I think my skills are inadequate so I really have to give my dream but lately, I discovered inspiring people, in fact, inspiring rockstars. Do they sing? Nope! One is an interior designer while the other is an entrepreneur/businessman.

I've been watching the Antonio treatment for months now but 'tis the only time I blogged about it. The rockstar is Antonio Ballatore. He looks like any other stereotyped rockstar (massive face hair and tattoos everywhere) but he is an interior designer. He redesigns (more like reinvents) houses with a really cool rockstar twist. In one of the episodes, he tried to help a music teacher to transform his apartment to a rocking music studio. The coffee table was designed like the coffin-shaped guitar bag popularized by Slash and well, it really has a Slash-autographed guitar in it! He also smashed collectible guitars, including one of Lindsay Lohan's pink guitar and his own. He designed the wall with those smashed guitars like a Rock n' Roll hall of fame exhibit (i want my house to have one of those). There's also one family with a young boy. Antonio gave the boy a room that looked like a concert backstage. The boy's cabinet was designed like black equipment and cable boxes. One of my other favorite pieces was a chandelier that looked like intertwined swans, painted midnight blue and sprinkled with glittering (seemingly) sawdust. What I love about Antonio and the show is that it features non conventional interior designing. When I have a house of my own, I could imagine that it would look like one designed by Antonio (of course I won't be able to afford his services haha). In the Philippines, the Antonio treatment is shown in Lifestyle network while in the US, I believe it is shown in HGTV.  

The other rockstar I am gushing about lately is Sir Richard Branson. Yes people you call him SIR. The business magnate has been knighted by no less than HRH Prince Charles for his "services to entrepreneurship." Why? Well he owns an empire - Virgin records, Virgin Atlantic (airline company), Virgin mobile, Virgin train, Virgin Cola, Virgin Comics, and Virgin Galactic (provides sub-orbital spaceflights to space tourists). And these are just the famous ones. The Virgin Group is said to be comprised of more than 400 companies! He was #85 in the 2002 list of '100 Greatest Britons.' What makes him a rockstar? He isn't your traditional businessman. Virgin Atlantic's vision is "to grow a profitable airline which people love to fly and where people love to work." I seriously want to work for this knight. He was quoted to have said "I'm often asked what it is that makes Virgin different. The simple answer is - our people. If it weren't for a bunch of well trained, motivated and, above all, happy people doing their bit, we'd have never launched a record label, never mind a fleet of 747s." According to online materials, he asked his people with direct reports to spend a lot of time (and a great deal of money) with their direct reports. Tony Fernandez, the man behind Air Asia used to work for him. But now he's a testament that Sir Richard Branson is truly a people developer. He is also true to his words. He made a bet with Tony Fernandez that whichever of their teams finished lower in the constructors' championship in F1 would serve on the other's airline. Sir Richard Branson lost and now, he is planning to honor the deal and serve in one of Air Asia's flights in full stewardess outfit. I want to be in that flight! I heard that he has a book. Guess what it's called - Losing my Virginity... haha

I love people who challenges convention and who tries to rock the scene. I am truly inspired by these great people. Now, my rockstar dream has come alive yet again. I know that I can be one without having to front a rock band. Anyway, I always have my bathroom!