“You are never too old to try new pursuits.”
TV personality Ces Drilon expressed this view on Instagram as she looked back on her achievements in the past year, notably her “Stress Drilon” advertisement.
“My ultimate life lesson in 2023: It’s never too late! You are never too old to try new pursuits,” she wrote.
In September of last year, Ces starred in a commercial for Coco Fresh Tea & Juice, a Taiwan-based milk tea brand, which centered around the widely recognized “Stress Drilon” phrase and meme.
“Stress Drilon,” which has been part of Filipino gay lingo since the early 2000s, refers to a person who is stressed out. It is coined after her surname “Drilon” and the word “stress” as a homonym of her name.
Ces channeled the “Stress Drilon” persona in the ad, portraying various unfortunate and stressful situations.
She also vented her anger and frustrations at a giant cup of Coco Fresh Tea by hurling expletives at it and stabbing it violently.
This commercial quickly gained traction on social media. Several Filipinos also expressed how much they relate to Ces’ character in their daily lives.
READ: Cashing in on the meme: Colleagues tease Ces Drilon over viral ‘Stress Drilon’ ad
In her post, Ces expressed surprise at how Filipinos connected with the concept of “Stress Drilon.”
“One big surprise for me was how #stressdrilon which I thought as passé resonated with people of all ages and walks of life, am referring to the ad which portrayed me as the Everyman encountering the #stressdrilon of everyday life,” she said.
Ces also accompanied her post with behind-the-scenes footage of the Coco Fresh Tea commercial.
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In a previous interview on the podcast The Linya-Linya Show, she advised people to learn how to pause and rest.
“Hanggang sa sabi ko kailangan ko na magpahinga at mag-pause. Nothing was going right. Hindi ka naman laging matapang at malakas. Hindi ka naman invincible or superwoman,” Drilon said.
“Kailangan i-acknowledge na-strestress ka kasi… you can’t just keep on going like you are a machine. [A]minin mo sa sarili mo na apektado ka para ma-address mo,” she added.
READ: ‘Stressed Drilon?’ Ces Drilon shares tips to overcome stress
Ces also revealed other ventures she pursued in 2023.
“I embarked on a lot of new pursuits – starting a garden farm, cooking and even plating my dishes (something I would like to do more of) and a hand at comedy (even if in just little over a minute). The movie ‘Nyad’ is also a big source of inspiration as I welcome 2024,” she said.
Ces ended her post by encouraging her loved ones to also try new things as the world welcomes 2024.
“On my loved ones, it is also never too late to make up for lost time and repair relationships and heal those you have hurt, even inadvertently. C.S Lewis said, ‘You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream,’” she said.
