My day started at 7 AM, and let's be real, it wasn’t exactly a glamorous wake-up call. The city was still half asleep, and I was definitely dragging myself out of bed. But there was this buzz in the air—the kind that comes when you know something exciting is about to happen.
I grabbed my bike and headed to The Corner House in San Juan, our shoot location for the day. That mix of nervous energy and anticipation was real. After a month of preparation with the ḢA.MÜ Team, today was the day it all came to life. I got there first. The studio was quiet, empty. Lights still off. It was just me, soaking in the calm before the creative chaos began. This was the part no one posts about—the quiet before the storm.
Then, one by one, the rest of the team and our cover stars arrived: Karlo Carranza, David Guison, Lharby Policarpio, and L.A Aguinaldo. These guys—whose faces we see all over our feed walked in just like all of us did, bare faced and still shaking off the sleep from an early wake-up call but ready to get things going.
What Is a Good Day?
When we began shaping the concept for our April issue, we knew we wanted to create something that felt fresh, honest, and full of heart. In close collaboration with the brilliant minds behind ḢA.MÜ—Abraham Guardian and Mamuro Oki—and our ever-resourceful shoot producer, Gem Ausa, we found a shared vision: to tell a story that reframes everyday life through its quiet truths. A reminder that life doesn’t always have to be grand to be meaningful—sometimes, it’s the mundane moments, the simplest forms of joy, that deserve to be celebrated the most. Inspired by ḢA.MÜ’s latest collection “Ganito Kaya?”, we asked ourselves—what if life isn’t always about chasing the extraordinary, but simply seeing the magic in the mundane?
And that got us thinking.
In a world where we scroll past countless influencer posts each day, it’s easy to forget there’s more behind the lens than just perfect angles and curated captions. We often see the highlight reels but rarely the human moments—the quiet struggles, the small wins, the everyday chaos. Especially in today’s hyper-digital landscape, where visibility is everything, it’s worth asking: What does a day in their life really look like?
For this issue of Metroscene Mag, in collaboration with ḢA.MÜ, we set out to answer that. Inspired by the brand’s latest collection, “Ganito Kaya?”, we spent a day with Karlo, David, Lharby, and L.A—four of the country’s most-followed and best-dressed creators—to peel back the filters and uncover the reality behind the aesthetic. What we found were lives that are as real as they are remarkable—equal parts curated and chaotic, grounded and aspirational. Because sometimes, the most compelling stories are the ones lived in between the posts.
"I think a good day starts with a good playlist or music,” L.A shares, looking sleek in one of the pieces from the Ganito Kaya collection of ḢA.MÜ. “Kasi, if we feel good and choose the right music, we get to enjoy. A good day starts with your mood. You’ve got to tell yourself it’s going to be a good day, and sometimes, that’s as simple as setting the vibe with music you play."
For L.A, a good day is also about a balance of fun and purpose. "I love what I do; I don’t see it as work, but I take it seriously. I still have fun, but I know I have to keep my content up to a certain standard. If it gets stressful, I think, 'This is happy stress' because I love what I do, but I want to make sure it’s good."
Lharby, on the other hand, offers a grounded perspective on what makes his day good—one tied to his role as both a content creator and a business owner. "Since I own a coffee shop, whenever I see my store full of people enjoying their coffee and food, that makes it a good day. Before, I only thought about my day ahead, but now I think about my customers and the people who work for me," he says.
David defines a good day by personal growth and balance. "When I think of a good day, it’s when I get enough sleep, squeeze in a workout, enjoy a great cup of coffee, and put on a good outfit. And of course, have meaningful conversations with people in the workplace, at events, and with my inner circle. A good fit means a good day, talaga."
Finally, Karlo wraps it up with his take on what makes a good day. "A good day is sunrise, a good lift, good coffee, and sand in my feet. Being an influencer or content creator, contrary to what people may think, we’re really good at romanticizing. If you're good at romanticizing, even the mundane things feel meaningful—you really feel it. Madamdamin kami."
Listening to all of them answer a question as simple as "What is a good day?" really brings everything into perspective. It’s in the small wins, the energy we put into our work, and the connections we make along the way. Whether it’s balancing fun and purpose or watching your business thrive, a good day is about embracing what grounds and fulfills you. For Karlo, David, Lharby, and L.A., it’s more than just the photos on Instagram—it’s the real moments that truly shape their days.
When the days are just days
In a world that constantly rewards the highlights and aesthetics of life, it’s easy to forget that not everything needs to be shared or documented for it to be meaningful. As influencers, it’s easy to fall into the trap of presenting a curated version of life, but after talking with these guys, I learned that many of them still appreciate the importance of the quiet, imperfect moments.
For L.A., embracing the imperfections is key to his growth. He reflects, "You can’t always have hits. Sometimes, it’s about the misses. If your life is always about hits, you won’t be able to enjoy the misses. I think, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Enjoy every moment, whether it’s high or low. That’s part of life, and that’s the beauty of it. We really have to go through things to move on to the next chapter. So, just appreciate every moment—good or bad—and be present." This hit me hard because it reminded me that life is not always about those “highlight reel” moments. It's about being in the moment, whether you're winning or learning from a miss. There's no need to keep up with the pressure of always having a perfect day.
David, being part of the industry for a while now, also finds value in choosing what to share. "As a content creator, I still value my personal time. I choose what I want to share. Think about it—when you watch my videos or vlogs, sometimes that’s just 30-40 minutes of 24 hours. We cut out a lot of what’s not documented, but I always share when I’m feeling down or sad. I realized not everything in life is happy. Before, when I started creating content, it was all about clickbait, but during the pandemic, I saw how slow-paced Korean vloggers became popular. I appreciated how it was nice to take things slow, and it reminded me that not every day is a good day." This gave me so much perspective. We’re all human, and it’s okay to not be "on" all the time. Sometimes, the slower pace and the days that don’t look perfect on the outside are the ones that teach us the most.
Reflecting on everything they shared, it became clear to me that stepping back and not feeling the pressure to constantly update everything online is not just healthy—it’s essential. In fact, I've learned that not every moment needs to be shared for it to be valuable. We all need those moments that don’t make it to social media—the ones that are quiet, unshared, and filled with personal growth. It’s in those times of silence, those in-between moments, that we find the clarity and recharge that truly matter.
We Living Life, Not Just Days
Reflecting back on the shoot, I couldn’t help but appreciate how much fun we had. The more I spent time with these prime fashion influencers, the more I realized that they’re not just about the polished, picture-perfect moments we see online. We would talk about the most mundane things—like the TV shows we binge-watch, the aspirations we have, and how much we all have in common, despite the differences in the way we live. There’s so much more to them than just their online personas.
As the conversations flowed, I found myself thinking about the balance between the image we project online and the quiet moments that aren’t shared. L.A. really made me think about how we often get caught up in curated versions of ourselves. He shared, "I think I love it, I think I really just love how people see me unexpectedly, let’s say I’m lining up to ride a bus, or the grocery sometimes, and people… sometimes you can see the shock on their face, like 'what are you doing here.' But I like how people don’t get to see that side usually, but at the same time it’s just also, this is reality, this is life diba, so we all go through life the same way, it’s just a matter of how we live each day." His perspective really hit home because it’s so easy to forget that life is more than the perfectly styled moments we put out into the world. It's a reminder that, in the end, we’re all just living life, and sometimes the most real moments happen outside the frame of the camera.
That sense of normalcy was echoed by Lharby, who said, "That I am just like them. I'm a human. I sleep. I eat. I do what they do every day, and, I... wala lang, sometimes kasi I expect… I mean, I think it's also quite wrong to expect that from other people, na parang they would understand you, for example. Na parang hindi ka nila i-bbother whenever you're alone, but I think, marami naman ding taong nakaka-gets na 'ah, he's alone, he wants to spend his time alone." This really made me think about the assumptions we make about others and how important it is to be kind and understanding of people’s space. We all have our moments of solitude, and there’s beauty in simply letting people be.
David, ever the down-to-earth creator, kept it simple: "Wala, wag nila kong pansinin. Busy rin sila sa buhay nila. May sarili silang problema and maybe when they see me, think of themselves as their online friends so they can say hi to me." In his straightforwardness, David reminded me that life isn’t always about being the center of attention, especially when everyone else has their own battles. His response was a humble acknowledgment that we all share in the human experience—whether online or offline.
Karlo, on the other hand, mentioned, "I think I show a lot of myself kasi so it’s like really balanced, so sobrang kaunti lang siguro that I’d hope they’d understand. I don’t know. Kasi I don’t think of myself na parang very unreachable. I post a lot of things that I do normal things, na naglalaba pala ako, I don’t know. Di pa naman ako umaabot sa ididisturb ako. What I hope they understand about me is what they see on the internet is not me. So, kung iniisip nila na intimidating ako kausap, I hope they really understand a conversation with me, get to know me. Kasi parang, just be aware that what they see on the internet is a reality kasi I try to be as honest as possible pero it’s just a reflection of me. It’s better to talk to me, talk to me to understand." Karlo’s words resonated deeply, reminding me that social media only gives a glimpse into someone's life, and it’s crucial to engage with others in real life to fully understand who they are. The digital version is just a reflection, but real connection happens when we step beyond the screen.
As the conversation continued, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much I was learning from these influencers. These conversations were shedding light on the humanity behind their carefully curated images. It made me realize that what we see online is only a fraction of the whole picture. The people we follow, admire, or compare ourselves to have their own quiet moments, challenges, and lives off-camera. Social media often reduces people to a highlight reel, but what about the in-between moments? The quiet, imperfect, unshared moments?
In fact, it became clear to me that we don’t have to be constantly “on” or updating every part of our lives online. Sometimes, stepping away from it all can remind us that there’s so much more to life than being seen or validated. It's in those times when we’re not performing for an audience that we really grow.
As we wrapped up, I thought about how important it is to remember that we’re all just living life—not just documenting it. It's easy to get lost in the pressure of constantly sharing, but I realized that we all have our unshared moments—the ones that never make it to our feeds. It’s in those quiet times, when we’re not trying to perform for an audience, that we truly discover who we are. And honestly, that's a lesson I needed to hear: live your life without the need for validation or the pressure of having to share every second. It’s all about those personal moments that are just for you.
Metroscene Mag April 2025 COVER: A Good Day
Executive Producer: Gem Ausa (@gemcarloausa)
Creative Director, Art Director, and Editor-in-Chief: Mark Elwyn Baccay (@markelwyn)
Photographed by Renzo Navarro (@_renzonavarro) assisted by Xavier Mallari (@xlmallari) and Dominic Pamatmat (@dompamatmat)
Makeup by Myckee Arcano (@myckeearcano), Jomari Braganza (@jomaribraganza) and Yra Mantaring (@facesbyyramantaring)
Hairstyling by Gab Villegas (@by.gabvillegas) and Myckee Arcano (@myckeearcano)
Story by Mark Elwyn Baccay (@markelwyn)
Designers Mamuro Oki of HA.MU (@mamuroki)
Abraham Guardian of HA.MU ( @monstrousthoughts)
Head Stylist: Abraham Guardian of HA.MU ( @monstrousthoughts) and Yana Kalaw (@yana__thestylist & @yanakalaw)
Styling Assistant: Raine Dela Rosa ( @pularosa) and Andrei Plaus (@ka_andeng)
Shot at The Corner House (@thecornerhouseph)
BTS Photograper : Jhom Fernando Rusiana (@jamrussians)
Video Director: Dominique Burgos (@dominique.burgos)
BTS Videographer : Prince King Zamora (@mistermeanor_)
Associate Producer: Verazoe (@verazoe__)
Photographer Assistant: Scymone De Vera (@de.scyn_)
Videographer Assistant: Giancarlo Co (@giancarloco_)
Special Thanks to our partners!
Jasu Reducindo of The Corner House (@thecornerhouseph)
CoStar Talent Management ( @costartalents.ph)
CreaZion Studios ( @thecreazionstudios)
Food Sponsor:
Tittos Latin BBQ & Brew (@tittosmnl)
Metroscene Mag interns:
Julian Rosch Dolor (@julieamore__)
Angel Pascual (@cheriecheruby)
