The Unpinoy Filmmaker

This is a note I found written in the FB account of Mr. Wincy Aquino Ong last Thursday, June 30, 2011. I'm not related to him. I didn't even ask for permission to repost this. (But since it is viewed publicly, I assume that it is for public consumption.) Hopefully you'll get something after reading it.


The Unpinoy Filmmaker
(Bullet Points of Reflection by Wincy Aquino Ong)



The other day I was watching the brilliant Word of the Lourd special 'How To Make An Indie Film'. The RA Rivera-directed series of shorts was comedy gold--too golden, in fact, that I got acid reflux from too much laughing. The cast was like The Beatles of Pinoy humor-Tado Jimenez, Ramon Bautista, Jun Sabayton, and Angel Rivero. Plus there was Lourd de Veyra, whose Beat Poet-intelligence added a certain density to the humor.



Once the after-chuckles subsided, I suddenly felt a strange feeling in my chest. As a filmmaker myself, I felt a pang of jealousy. There was just something that the short film had that my own works as a filmmaker didn't. I searched my girlfriend for an answer: "What is it that RA Rivera has that I don't?"



My girlfriend simply said, "He's more Pinoy than you."



Then like a Philippine Rabbit bus out of EDSA, it hit me.



Oh my God. Ang anak ni Janice. She was right. I am an Unpinoy Filmmaker.



+++



Let's digress for a bit.



In 2010, I remember talking to a friend in ABS-CBN. Around those months, my band Us-2 Evil-0 lucked out and had our song as the soundtrack to a Greenwich TV commercial.



My dear friend jested, "Hanggang diyan na lang ang kasikatan ng banda mo."



I laughed, but was curious about the reasons. "Bakit naman?"



My dear friend clapped me on the back, "Eh, hindi naman kayo tunog-Pinoy."



It's a recurring theme in my life--one that I wanted to further investigate.



There's the big stinking question mark in the sky: What does it mean to be Pinoy in your art?



+++



Abstractions are abstractions. And yes, the adjective 'Pinoy' is one big mother-lovin' abstraction, not unlike love, war, and churvaness.



'Pinoy' is ill-defined. I cannot quite put my finger on the term. Only a feeling in my testicles can.



So without benefit of thesaurus, just old reliable gonads, I try my best to tell what's Pinoy and what is not.



The Itchyworms is Pinoy. Ciudad is not.
The music videos of RA Rivera are Pinoy. The music videos of Pancho Esguerra, Marie Jamora and mine are not.
Cutterpillow is Pinoy. Fruitcake is not.
Ramon Bautista is Pinoy. VJ Sib Sibulo is not.
The writings of Erwin Romulo are Pinoy. That of Ramon de Veyra are not.
Lourd de Veyra is Pinoy. Those mestizo TV show hosts in Studio 23 are not.
SM is Pinoy. Rockwell is not.
Parokya ni Edgar is Pinoy. Taken By Cars is not.

There. I hope these examples helped and made the adjective 'Pinoy' less nebulous.



+++



Overheard from a filmmaker from Alabang: "It's not that I hate Philippine movies and Philippine television. It's not a question of nationality, anymore. Great art is beyond nationality. How can you love something that has bad compositions, overly-lit cinematography, Depression-era stage blocking, awful sound design, and theatrical acting? The reason why I love American cinema more than my own country's is because of its qualities, its restraints. It's no longer about colonial mentality. It's about the universality of beauty."



+++



My girlfriend told me once: "A UP education does something to your brain. It turns you Pinoy."



Then just like that, my insecurities as a culturally uprooted Atenean grew forth.



Q: What's the difference between a UP filmmaker and an Atenean filmmaker?

A: A UP filmmaker makes films about poor people. An Atenean filmmaker makes films about how his girlfriend left him.



+++



Though it's a movie I didn't like that much, there was one scene in the Will Ferrell-Mark Wahlberg comedy The Other Guys that made me laugh. In that scene, alpha male Mark Wahlberg shows his ex-grilfriend that he can dance ballet. Mark Wahlberg goes on to explain to his cop partner that he learned ballet to piss off his gay classmates when he was a kid. Ferrell goes, "You learned to dance ballet sarcastically?"



You know who I'm talking about. Those friends of yours whose sense of humor skew towards 80's Pinoy movies. Those who can recite the entire canon of Tito, Vic and Joey films. Those who can dance like Manilyn Reynes in office parties. Those who can cite scripture from Joey Gosiengfiao's Temptation Island. Those who know their Aizas from their Lady Lees, their Crocodile Jones from their Bobocop.



Marvel Comics is to me, as 80's Pinoy culture is to Ramon Bautista. Ramon has a near-Wikipedic knowledge of action stars, child stars, obscure Dingdong Avanzado types, and the name of every arcane noontime show. It was clear to me that the guy was passionate about 80's Pinoy culture.



However, upon getting to know him more, through our various conversations in burger joints and watering holes, I realized that Ramon Bautista was a guy who also had a lot of complaints about Philippine movies and television. He wasn't your typical Filipino viewer: this was a guy aware of the dearth of quality in our moving pictures.



With that in mind, I have thought countless of times while I'm stuck in traffic: Do the people who do spoofs of Ninja Kids in film class, really believe in Pinoy cinema...Or did they just learn to love it sarcastically?



+++



Is it a crime to choose Wes Anderson over Lino Brocka?

Is it a crime to pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock rather than Manuel Conde?

Is it a crime to create science fiction rather than social realism?

Is it a crime to have your screenplay written in English?

Is it a crime that my hero is Tim Burton, and not Peque Gallaga?



+++



The only time I ever idolized a Filipino artist was when the Eraserheads came. So much in fact, that at times, I proclaimed that I loved the Eraserheads more than The Beatles. Yes, that is only one of the rare cases where my devotion for a Pinoy artist surpassed their foreign comparisons.



Why? It's because for once in Pinoy pop culture, every Pinoy chose the right thing. The cool thing. The un-masa thing. For one anomalous moment in Pinoy pop culture, the heroes everybody chose did not have sculpted abdomens, did not sing R&B songs in laser-lighted noontime shows, did not wear Blowing Bubbles t-shirts, and did not crossover into acting full-time for badly-lit soap operas.The Eraserheads were four ectomorphs from UP. Sarcastic and smart. Not a single iota of kabaduyan in their blood. Who could ask for anything more, right?



Now, if only actors and producers and directors were more Eraserheads-like in their work, then by God, goodbye Hollywood. Hello local cinema.



+++



A thought: An infant needs to be taken care of. The moment you leave an infant to its own devices, it dies a slow death. This, I believe, is what happened to The Philippines. We're practically infants, in terms of civilization. By the time the rest of the world had invented galleons and gun-metallurgy, we were still in loincloths.



We are arrogant infants. Infants who want independence, yet who are not ready for independence. Just take a good look at Baguio. In the hands of the Americans in the 1940s, it was a beautiful, well-landscaped Art Deco paradise. Then years later, the arrogant infants that we are, drove the Americans away and told them that we can take care of our own land. Fact: Baguio is now one of the most polluted cities in the country.



Can the same be said of our cinema? Perhaps we should've taken more lessons from the French and the Germans (the very inventors of cinema) just like our American brothers did?



But then again, I could be wrong.



+++



Perhaps it's just a matter of locality?



All good artists are mascots of their homeland. Stephen King often set his stories in his native Maine. Mark Twain wrote of mischievous boy adventures in small town Mississippi. Stan Lee created superheroes who lived and breathed in the New York City he grew up in. Steve Martin wrote screenplays about his love-affair with Los Angeles.



Is devotion to one's homeland the ultimate obligation of the artist? (What of the surrealists-who set their tales in Wonderland?)



It is with much sadness that I confess that I am not Wincy Aquino Ong-filmmaker and Quezon City's favorite son.



I am the product of American comic books and Saturday morning cartoons. Though I can speak Filipino, I am more comfortable with the English language. Heck, I don't even look comfortably Pinoy side-by-side Toni Gonzaga in that ABS-CBN pilot we did. (I looked like a Korean Michael Cera.) I look at my friends and they are the kinds of people who don't read newspapers or watch local television. My friends know more about what's happening in Gotham City than in Quezon City. And yes, sometimes I do feel left out when people talk about showbiz tsismis. I'm sure you've met the type of person I am.



Is it my destiny to be Unpinoy? Or rather, am I doomed to be Unpinoy?



+++



A list of five things I wish to see less and less of in Philippine cinema and television:



Dingdong Dantes as a jeepney driver
Slums, slums and more slums
Churva humor (it's getting old, mga mare...)
Another superhero resurrection from the Ravelo/Caparas catalog
The same old Star Cinema ending ( after one year of separation, they're reunited)

A list of five things I wish to see more and more of in Philippine cinema and television:



Heterosexual cinema
Action films
Geeky actors (no, Herbert Bautista-types don't count)
Psychological thrillers
More Lourd de Veyra-type of shows



+++



Pinoy, Unpinoy.



I guess there are no easy answers, only soft conclusions.



Perhaps, labels are futile. Art serves many needs, the needs of national identity only being one of many.



In the end, as artists and filmmakers, though no matter how cliche it may sound, we can only do one thing: Gawa lang nang gawa. No matter how Unpinoy you are.



Eventually, that's how we'll come to define what's Pinoy and what's not.

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July 1st

July 1 na. Wala lang.

Naalala ko last year nung inumpisahan ko 'to. July din. Napaka-walang kwenta ng buhay ko. Seriously. Parang everyday nung time na yon eh wala akong ibang ginawa kundi umisip kung ano na ang gagawin ko sa hinaharap. Basta napaka-frustrating.


Ibang-iba sa kinalalagyan ko ngayon.

Nakakatuwang isipin na sa pakiramdam ko ay "naka-recover " na ako sa kung anong kumunoy na pinaliliguan ko dati. At ayaw ko na bumalik dun. As in.

Pero ano na nga ba pinagkaiba nung ngayon at nung nakaraang taon?

Una, may matino na akong trabaho. Hindi lang yon. Yung dating trabaho ko eh sideline ko na ngayon. (Hello income? :))

Pangalawa, may DSLR na ako. Ito ay dating suntok sa buwan! (Pero ngayon parang inaagiw na. Kailangan ko na ulit lumabas at magpicture!)

Pangatlo, namumuhay na ako mag-isa. total independence!

Pang-apat, nabibili at nagagawa ko na lahat ng gusto ko. Kasama na dun yung camera syempre, pamamasyal kung saan, sine everyday, lahat na! Kulang na lang mag-droga ako. Hahah. Pero di ko yun gagawin ah.

Pang-lima, eh nakakapagbigay na ako sa parents ko. Yun naman ang isa sa pinakaproblema ko dati. Ngayon alam kong may silbi na ako at hindi pabigat sa lipunan.



Pero kahit na ganto, hindi parin nawawala sa isip ko na hindi ako aabot ng 25. Hindi ko pa kasi "na-eexplore" yung aking cardiac problem. Pero hindi na yun big deal. Hindi ko na nga iniisip eh.



Yun na actually ang mentalidad ko ngayon: ang bawasan ang pagiisip. Mas madaling ma-appreciate ang buhay kung hindi gaanong nag-iisip.

Wala na akong maisip kaya tatapusin ko na to. Hahaha

Happy weekend at new month! Konti na lang pasko na uli. :D

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On Taking Pictures

I've always believed that taking pictures is more than pointing and shooting your camera. For when you take photographs, you take part in that subject's immortality. Ever since, I've considered my purpose.

A friend of mine took a break and had his vacation in Cambodia last May. Recently, he changed his profile pic in FB.


Ako: Sino sila?
Siya: street children sa angkor wat. =)


He was posing together with 2 street kids; one only wearing a sweat shirt while the other half-naked, only with his shorts. And he (my friend) was all smile with them. I'm not sure about the kids.

At the back of my mind, "Why them? Todo smile ka pa? What's on your mind? What's your purpose?" I don't know what had happened at that moment, but I sure felt uncomfortable after he answered that they were street kids from that place. Naawa ako bigla sa kanila (kids).

I controlled myself and decided not to further interrogate him.

Oh well, as they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." There could have been other words to describe the shot. And this is how I've described it. My friend has his words worthy of describing his shot too.


After 10 days, he changed his profile pic. This time with a baby, son of my colleague before.



(Sorry, I decided not to provide my friend's picture. Baka kasi kilala niyo siya. Hehe)

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What Will?

It's Monday and it's a holiday!

So what happened to the "holiday economic issues" raised sometime in December? Not that I don't like holidays but I like it better if people will be CONSISTENT. Consistent with what they want and what they're doing. Where's your political will to pursue the change that you want then?


(BTW, I'm typing this at the office. HAHA)

-

I've finished reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff by Christopher Moore weeks ago and it was entertaining!

It's a novel about the Christ's missing years. The story was narrated by Levi Bar Alpheus called Biff. He was Christ's (or Joshua in the book) best friend. Biff was reincarnated to write his own version of the gospel. They took off for an adventure for Josh to learn how to be the Messiah. So He can liberate the people and the rest of the world.

It was a make-up history and story was arranged in a logical way that it follows the sequence of events in the bible.

Basta, maganda siya! It is worth my time! :D


Right now, I'm reading The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma. Even though I'm just on the first chapters, I'm already recommending it to you!

-

Why is it that when I'm about to write something, I lose my will to write? Tss.



Enjoy the rest of the day!

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:)

I miss writing.

Hope to be back. Soon.

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Job Description

The hospital where I work at is currently rushing for the PhilHealth Accreditation due on the first week of march. Part of which is to provide a list of ALL positions in the hospital with their corresponding job descriptions.

Good thing, hospital has no document regarding the issue and I have something to do! (*insert sarcasm here)

Since I am part of the Admin Office (though I am a PT), I was tasked by the boss to present a list of positions with their duties and responsibilities. Nakaka-drain palang gumawa nito. I'm now on the 7th page. (Pero font size 12 naman). Ang hirap i-detail ng trabaho ng bawat isa. Mas madaling gawin na lang. Hehe

Anyway, since ako ang PT, ako din ang gumagawa ng duties at responsibilities ko. Naisip kong dagdagan. Yung tipong "suggest and recommend upgrading of PT section equipments" tapos lalagyan ko yung sa boss ko ng duty na "approves ALL recommended upgrades in the hospital" para madali nalang sa part ko kapag nanghingi ako ng budget. Hehehe. (tsaka para malaman ko din kung binabasa niya ang trabaho ko. bwahaha)

Siya sige, break lang to. At ako eh drain na drain na talaga. Ititigil ko na to at magkakape nalang hanggang mag-uwian. :)

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Pulutan

Isa sa pinakamasayang feeling ay ang kumain ng may kasama. Yung may kakwentuhan. Pero hindi ibig sabihin nun eh ayaw ko na kumain ng solo ah. Masarap lang na may kausap ka at kapalitan ng diwa habang ngumangasab ng pagkain.

Last week ay bago ang mga kasama ko sa hapagkainan. Mga mas senior sa akin sa trabaho. Ngiti-ngiti lang ako. Sagot kapag tinatanong. Nakikiramdam. Ang napansin ko lang, silang lahat eh may tinatagong reklamo. Reklamo sa mga kasamang di kasama sa hapagkainan. Okay lang naman na maglabas ng mga grievances and all. Pero diba? Iba na kapag everyday ganun? Tapos everyday mo pa mapapansin yung mali nung pinupulutan niyo.



Nakakawalang gana! Kung may problema naman kasi eh pwedeng magsabi. Hindi yung puro patalikod kung tumira.




Minsan mas gusto ko na lang kumain mag-isa. Kaso pag ginawa ko yun, baka ako naman ang pulutanin.

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Everything New

Every event has a purpose and every setback its lesson. Failure, whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual is essential to personal expansion. Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that is. - Robin Sharma



Its been a long time! Ang naalala ko kaya di ako nakapagpost eh dahil ang hirap ng connection ng Smart Bro sa area ko nung January. Sinabi ko ng sinabe na bukas, bukas bukas. Hanggang sa nakalimutan ko na.

Anyway, busy din naman ako last month. Maraming activity sa hospital. Naging graphic artist ako for a while, emcee, bodyguard ng VIP, errand boy, lahat na. Hindi ko lang nasubukan maging boss. HAHA.

Before I forget, lumipat na ako. I'm already here at Lucena (so kung meron sa inyong taga-Lucena dyan, i-message niyo ako at i-tour niyo ko dito. Hehe). Dito ko inassign. Mag 1 week palang ako this coming Monday and people here has been nice. They treat me like a BOSS. Hahaha. Except for the people high up there opkors! Dahil bagong mga tao, bagong pakikisama uli. (may ishashare ako RE: mga tao, pero bukas na lang. hehe)

Ang weather dito, malamiiig. Kainis nga, sa dami ng jacket ko sa bahay, ni isa wala akong nadala. May sarili din akong kwarto at CR. May kama at kutson. Pero wala akong cabinet. Para-paraan na lang. Ayun lang naman.

On my first week eh nakapag medical-dental mission na ako. Madami sila. Pero di overwhelming. Sakto lang. Nakakatawa yung iba kasi ang kukulit. Batam-bata daw ako. HAHAHA

Madami pang iba. Some better left unsaid. Hehe.

But here's what worth sharing. A friend gave me this book by Robin Sharma entitled, "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari". It's about a lawyer who had a change of heart after a defining moment. Madaming insightful ideas. If you're a book lover, you better read it! :)

Ayun lang naman. :)

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Araw-araw

Nakatutuwang isipin na weekend na uli! Yey! Sana'y kasi akong pare-parehas lang ang weekday at weekend (dahil palaging walang pasok). Natutuwa ako hindi dahil ayaw ko sa opisina kundi dahil andito na ulit ako sa bahay namin matutulog. Natutulog lang kasi ako sa quarters sa opisina para maagang makarating makapasok at less hassle. Ambilis talaga ng oras kapag marami kang ginagawa. Lalo na kung nag-eenjoy ka sa mga ginagawa at sa mga kasama mo.

Ang napansin ko lang, yung mga tao na na galing sa walang pasok (weekend o holiday man) eh pagpapalapit na ang Monday (o ang pasukan ulit) eh nag-uupdate ng status sa kanilang facebook ng "Pasukan na naman bukas!!" Sabay reklamo ng kung anu-ano tungkol sa mga trabaho nila. Ano bang problema? Ayaw nila sa trabaho nila? Eh bakit naman kasi yun ang pinasok nila? Sa totoo lang, hindi nakakatuwa.

Ang point ko lang, wag sana nating i-treat na "drag" ang ating mga trabaho. Mas nakakapagod at nakakadrain talaga ang ganun. Araw-arawin mo pa na ganyan. Sus! Dati ko nang tinrato ng ganyan ang trabaho ko sa Call Center. Ang ending? Mas pagod ako at palagi akong nagkakasakit.

Hangga't maariay humanap ng mga bagay na aasahan o ilu-look forward dun sa ginagawa, sa trabaho. Huwag nating ikulong ang ideyang yan sa pera na kikitain. Andyan ang mga kolokoy na ka-opisina, mga "crush" sa opis at nakakatawang boss. Naalala ko dati nung intern ako sa isang rehab clinic sa Makati eh sobrang stressed ako sa mga pasyente. Dalawa lang kasi kaming intern tapos ang daming pasyente! Andaming aayusin at the end of the day! Nung mga panahon na yon, ang nilu-look forward ko eh yung aking mahabang lakad from the vicinity around Makati Med, aakyat ng walkway, babagtasin ang Greenbelt, Landmark at Glorietta. Everyday ay ganyan ang gawi ko. Bukod sa enjoy ang mga malls (lalo na kung sale), eh nageenjoy akong manood sa mga taong nakakasalubong ko. Ang babaw no? Dahil don eh hindi ako sobrang pagod pag-uwi ko.

Sa ngayon, nageenjoy ako sa pagpasok ko sa opisina. Inaasahan ko ang isang masarap na jogging tuwing umaga, ang aming breakfast sa pantry kasama ang mga duty sa ospital, ang tanghalian naming magkakaklase sa training at ang pag-ilag namin sa mga seniors para lang maenjoy namin ang pagkain at ang kung anong maisip namin gawin pag sapit ng gabi (nung wednesday eh nagpamasahe ako tapos kahapon tinry namen ang malaking chicken ng Mini-Stop). Yun ang mga bagay sa palagay ko ay dahilan kung kaya't ako eh hindi napapagod sa tuwing babalik na ako sa quarters. Nasanay na akong palagi akong may nilu-look forward sa araw-araw para di ako pagod.

At kung ikaw eh walang maisip na mga ganyan, mabuti pang isipin mo na kung dapat ka na bang gumawa ng resignation letter.

Happy weekend!

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Walang Tulog

Gusto ko talaga magsulat ng mahaba. Pero iiklian ko lang. Dahil antok na antok na ako. Bakit? Kasi kulang na kulang pa ang tulog ko kagabi. Pinasaya ko kasi ang sarili ko sa pamamagitan ng... paglalaro ng DOTA. Hahaha! Kinita ko ang college dotamates ko sa UST at nagpakalulong sa bagong mapa nito. Naka-6 games kame lahat. Sa sobrang tagal na namin di naglalaro eh hindi na kame marunong. HAHA. SAYANG PERA in short! Pero ayos lang. More than the prestige of winning naman eh saya na nagkita-kita ulit kame. Hehe

Andami na din pala nagbago sa USTe. Kahit na mag-2 years palang akong wala doon. Andaming improvements (or pangcover sa corruption?) na pinapatayo dun. Hmmm. Ayon.

Kanina pala ay nagpamasahe ako. Ang sakit na kasi ng likod ko. Ang sarap!!

Napapansin ko lang, parang andami ko ng unnecessary buys (mp3 player, mga t-shirts, tas palagi na akong naka-taxi) mula nung magka-sweldo ako. Sana Lord eh tulungan mo akong wag ng maging impulsive at mamuhay ulit ng simple gaya dati. Kung ganito ako ng ganito eh wala akong maiipon.

Anyway, may absent ako dito sa blog ko kahapon (dahil nga don sa Dota). Sayang, target ko pa naman ang 365 entries by the end of this year. Siguro dadalwahin ko minsan ang post ko sa isang araw.

Yun lang. Tulog na ako.

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First Monday

It's the first monday of the year! At ako'y tamad na tamaaaad. Pero wala naman akong pasok. Bukas pa. Siguro eh nape-preempt lang ako sa dami ng mga gagawin ko kaninang umaga.

Una kong ginawa eh pumunta sa dentista para magpa-pasta at cleaning. Sinadya ko yung dental clinic sa isang mall. Sarado kasi yung dentista ko dito sa lugar namen. Nalugi na ata sila. Mura lang kasi dun. Kaya laking gulat ko din ng malaman ang presyo ng pasta at cleaning dun sa clinic sa mall! P600 ang cleaning at P600 din ang pasta! Pambihira! Pakiramdam ko eh hindi worth it ng ganun ang itsura ng clinic na yon. Kaya ang ginawa ko eh pasta na lang. Next week na lang siguro ang cleaning. Kapag nakahanap ako ng mas abot kaya. Hehe

Pagkatapos non eh pumunta ako sa SM Makati. Andami pa din tao. Sale din don hanggang Jan 9. Napansin ko yung mga saleslady eh parang wala din sa sarili. Pamali-mali ng binibigay sa aken na order. Natawa na lang ako kasi para lang mga sira.

Bumili din ako ng whey protein. Hahaha. Umaasa kasi ako na gagada pa lalo ang katawan ko kapag nag-take ako neto. Antagal ko nga pumili. Hindi ko kasi alam kung dapat bang etong powder na whey pro ang bilhin ko o yung Amino 2000 na capsule tas may nakalagay na "mass" para gumanda ang katawan ko. Antagal ko nag isip... Antagal. Pero ang ending eh yung powder din ang binili ko kasi may madali tong maabsorb ng katawan kesa dun sa capsule. Palagay ko eh mas magiging effective to.

Pagkatapos eh pumunta naman ako sa MOA. (Ayos sa trip ano?) Dun naman ako naghanap ng mp3 player. Hahaha. Ang hinahanap ko kasi eh yung mp3 at may FM. Ang alam ko eh sa cdr-king lang meron nun. Kaso wala na daw nun sa cdr-king. Sa SM appliances ako nakahanap nung gusto ko. Iisang stock pa. Pakiramdam ko tuloy eh para sa akin yun.

Dahil pakiramdam ko eh mahaba pa ang oras, dumiretso na ako sa Baclaran. Wala lang. Baka kasi may makita akong masarap bilhin. Nilinis na naman pala ang mga bangketa don sa ilalim ng LRT. Ang sarap maglakad kapag ganoon ang daanan dun. Bukod dun eh ganon pa rin sa Baclaran. Pati ang mga paninda eh ganon parin.

Naisipan ko pala magpamasahe din. Kaso kakatapos ko lang kumain sa World Chicken (marasap ang Ranch Bbq sauce!), kaya pakiramdam ko eh susuka ako kapag pinadapa ako. Kaya pass na lang muna.

Teka, jogging lang muna (sa palibot ng RWM). :D

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Victory and Dalaw

Today was my first time in Victory Church. I chose to attend the 11am service in the Fort with my sister and my nephews. I was actually looking forward to seeing artists (because that she's been telling me long ago) but I didn't see anyone. Good thing most of the church-goers were good-looking enough to stare during the whole time. Joke lang.

So, how was the experience?

Way better than the Mass but just the same with Bro. Bo's Light of Jesus. You see, what I didn't like with the way the church delivers messages and passages is that its very traditional and boring. Not that I don't like traditions and all but we also have to know that times have changed. And the church leaders should realize that unlike the old times where people just go to mass and listen, people now wants a more dynamic, lively and knowledgeable way of delivering these messages! More real-life stories and more affirmation! The atmosphere is so intense that you'll just find yourself meditating and speaking words of praise and worship. It was overwhelming! But I'm not renouncing my faith as a Catholic. Victory is (I think) Christian. But the values that it teaches is the same as what the Catholic observes. Maybe I can do both services to satisfy my spiritual needs.

Before I got home, I dropped by the bookstore and bought Barney Stinson's The Bro Code. Nyahaha!

On the evening, I went to G4 and watched Kris' Dalaw. I was with my friends we did nothing but laugh! Inaabangan namin talaga yung mga reaksyon ni Kris. Haha! That's why it turned-out (again, like Sukob when we eatched it) to be comedy-horror. Kahit na hindi naman talaga.

Kaya daw takot si Kris sa Dalaw ay dahil buntis! (Wala na akong magawa kundi tumawa ng tumawa when my friend said this one.)

I'm still suffering from stiff neck. Tae.

Ayun lang. Tulog nako.

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Welcome 2011! Welcome back to me!

Hello. May bago na akong wireless broadband. Kaya makakapag-update na ulit ako ng blog. Yey!

Una sa lahat, happy new year!! At sa unang araw din ng taon eh may sakit ako. Badtrip!
Mainit ang pakiramdam ko tapos eh pakiramdam ko busog na busog ako kahit na wala naman akong kinakain. Haay.

Marami na palang nangyare mula nung huli kong punta dito... Kinasal na yung ka-Church org ko dati. Nalate ako sa misa. Hindi tuloy ako nakapagbasa pero inassign niya ko. Ngayon eh nasa Canada na sila. Sarap!

One week bago din magpasko eh puro ako Christmas party. As in 8 party ang napuntahan ko! Wala akong ginawa kundi kumain, uminom at mag-videoke (kahit di ako marunong!). Kaya syempre, eto, antaba-taba na!

Oo nga pala, kakasweldo ko lang din. Medyo nakakatuwa ang nakuha ko. Hehe. Kasi 3 months yun eh. Kaya naipon. Nagcanvass na ako para bumili ng DSLR. Pero nung bibilhin ko na eh wala na daw stock nung gusto ko. Kaya di na lang ako bumili. Instead, namigay na lang ako ng regalo. Ang bait ko ano? Ganyan ako sa mga kaibigan ko. Haha

Nakatapos na din pala ako ng 2 libro. Yung isa yung Power of Positive Thinking. Self-empowerment book. Tas yung isa eh yung Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan. Isa yon sa mga libro ni Bob Ong. Ang saya non! Nakakatuwa!

Nung December 30 ay umakyat pala ako sa Baguio. Balikan ang ginawa ko. Nagkita kame ng isa kong barkada na taga-La Union. Nakasakay ako ng Victory Liner ng 11:30pm nung Wednesday at nakarating ng Baguio ng mga 5am the next day. Nag-stroll una ako sa Burnham Park at Session Rd habang wala pa siya. Mga 7am kasi siya dumating. Tas sinulit ang 12 hours kong stay. Puro lakad at picture kame. Punta ng PMA kung saan kinita ko yung isa kong kaklase. Bumili pala ako ng 3 bote ng rice wine na nabasag yung 2. Sayang. Pero ang bango bango! Ang sarap sarap! Haha. Nakaalis ako dun ng 7pm. Nakarating ako dito sa maynila nung 1am ng 31.

Napagod siguro ako dahil tuluy-tuloy lang ako. Hindi ako nakakapagpahinga. Tapos eto pa nagawa ako neto. Gusto ko kasing ituloy na. At matutuloy ko na kasi may net na ulet ako. Ayun lang naman. Balik ako sa susunod. Inaantok na ulit ako.

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