Johnny Cursive misses the Kanto Gym

I cannot even begin to be nice to people in my gym now in fear of it being misconstrued as a pick-up attempt.

I have a neighborhood kanto gym that I used to frequent. It’s on the penthouse of a mid-rise condominium owned by our vice-mayor. Incidentally, this condominium is pink so I refer to it as the pink gym. I only go there on rare occasions when I’m pressed for time and I need to lift iron. What I miss most in that gym is the fact that it is a gym that does only what it’s supposed to do – help me in my journey of trying to look good naked. I could wear raggedy shirts and frayed shorts while kidding around with strangers. The boys are friendlier and all conversations do not have a trace of come-ons. It’s a good mix of members – awkward and lanky high school kids, blue-collar workers, bouncers, cute guys and the occasional female. People in my kanto gym openly talk to everyone about workout routines or the latest video scandals. Laughter is common and welcome.

I don’t get that in FF. I can’t ask about workout routines without sounding sexually interested no matter how deep and manly I register my voice. When I tried to be nice and open to casual conversation, either the dude responded with one-liner answers that would prevent any further dialogue, or mistook it for some sort of signal. I’ve been a member for a year now and I haven’t even met a gym buddy. The nearest to a gym buddy was with a trainer from a platinum branch who used to work at a hardcore bakal gym. Mas masaya rin para sa kanya magbuhat sa hardcore.

The branches I frequent are Megamall, Robinson’s Summit and The Fort Strip. Overall, I’m getting most comfortable in The Fort. The members don’t really look at me and probably it’s because there are lots of hotter guys, or majority of the members are straight. Plus the celebrities will always get the attention from both straight and gay boys. In Robinson’s Summit I cannot help but feel like I’m being sized up or debated if I’m a member of gaydom. In The Fort Strip, I could unwind in the sauna in peace; in Megamall or Robinson’s Summit steam rooms, other guys look at your crotch area without even trying to hide the act. That’s just my experience.

Naughty gym encounters aren’t really for me, now that I’ve got a boo and even when I was still single. Finding sex in the gym feels like desecration for some of the more conservative guys and that includes me. Johnny Cursive has quite a few very conservative sensibilities. That’s why I miss my dear old pink gym where all the straight and straight-ish boys are. If only the dumbbells were not so rusty.