Does anybody know where I can order
copies of old Filipino films, specifically: Puso sa Puso by Seiko Films (1988); Rosa Mistika (1989), Limang Daliri ng Diyos, and Isusumbong Kita sa Diyos?

Please, I need help/leads ASAP. Do contact me if you know how or you can lead me to getting them. Thank you so much!

Birthday celebration of Mildz at their office. 

Photo-op with JATC.

commemorating EDSA 2

PGMA’s speech, as written by Papa, after taking oath of office in 2001.

After more than an hour of conference early this week, it has been formalized within his family that he’d run for a post in the province. 

As friends in college, I knew long before that he was somehow ‘expected’ to do this.  His stint in U.P. was in a way kind of a ‘practice’ — campaign flurry, hectic balancing main life and public service, constantly being tired, and not having much free time.   To me then, it meant being an occasional driver, a cheerleader, test of patience and understanding, willingness to drop things when needed and/or absorb some work/papers when they get too many to handle. Not much complaints; love and friendship made all of them actually fun and challenging to do. 

The next months will be tougher, I guess, ‘coz there are more things to consider, more people to deal with, more real issues at stake, more money involved, more time required, and greater distance to travel.  I actually wish I can be of more help and be of assistance right away.  I want to stay close to make sure he’s well taken cared of and to personally see to his security. But, someone’s gotta keep the day job for the household’s subsistence….and yeah, there is such thing as a ban on partisan politics for government employees L.

Thus, I can just wish things would not get nasty up there and may his usual luck come through again; but, I also hope he’d not get sucked in the dirty-traditional-too-many-ass-kissing-corrupt-politics (I’m keeping the faith on his maternal genes to keep him wise and grounded, as they’ve been the whole of his life J). 

And so, we begin…Fight J!

Ria:  Bakit laging fluctuating temperature ko?  Within the day, I can be feverish, (my office thermometer registering so talaga and after office, burning skin daw ako sabi ni Kris); then just as it comes, mawawala rin agad after some hours.

Betty: Baka may bali ka.

Ria: Eh saan naman?  Walang new body part masakit (except the usual heartburn, stomach upsets, and knee-joint thing).

Betty: Ah basta magpa-hilot ka.  Hilot ha, hindi spa massage.

Ria: Huh? Uso pa ba yun? 

Booyeah J!  The copies were very clear, the translation was great!  Now, I understand the whole story of the Korean telenovela I mentioned yesterday and can ‘move on’ with my pathetic life.  Hahahaha J.

A review:  The English translation in the DVD was very bad compared to the two episodes Kris downloaded.  The former got lots of grammatical errors and sometimes they just don’t make sense anymore.   From the telly (ABS-CBN broadcast), you’d think the story is cutesy, light, and funny; however, by mid-series, dang, it gets sooooo dramah!  Kaya nga hindi ko tinantanan ‘coz I don’t wanna be suspended in such heavy feeling brought about by the story and kept on hoping there will be a redeeming happy ending.  Oh, throughout, I did wonder how come the men wore ‘blouses’ J?  Overall, it was still an enjoyable series.  I’m glad though I’m over it J. 

Aside, I am not actually a huge fan of Asian telenovelas.  Aside from this Korean series I just watched, I only did two other DVD marathons — Jewel In the Palace because of Betty and Meteor Garden because I was horribly bored during the Christmas season the year Papa died (just to pass time with and not notice the empty holidays).  But I did enjoy Asian movies Kris insisted on watching: Sassy Girl, Windstruck, Il Mare, Daddy Long Legs, and some others that didn’t register like these four. 

Aside Aside:  The new season of American Idol kicked off yesterday.  May this be a good one J.

My officemate, Atty. Laurence, told me I look like one of the characters in the new late night Korean telenovela in ABS-CBN. Curious, I watched one episode and concluded: “nah, they are all chinky-eyed there.” 

The trouble is, my curiosity turned into addiction and I started following the story.  Mind you, addiction of an O.C. person is horribly unhealthy and hard to control.  Thus, instead of being a nightly slave of ABS-CBN, I bugged Kris to get me the entire season of said series so I can view everything and know the whole story right away. 

For 12 straight hours last Saturday, I watched 19 episodes (fast playing some portions — speed reading the subtitles).  I could have gone on, but I had to fetch Tita Madre from the convent. 

After families’ day (lunch at home with relatives and dinner at Kris’) last Sunday, I was determined to finish the 5 remaining episodes; and since they are gearing towards the climax and ending, I patiently viewed them on normal play mode. 

But, as been proven, my O.C.-ness is only next to my jinx-ness.  In the middle of 23^rd until the first portion of the 24^th episode, nawala yung subtitles!!!  As if naman I can understand Korean, di ba?  Arg talaga!

Come Monday, I downloaded episode guides of the series.  Bitin pa rin, kulang-kulang eh.  Thus, I begged Kris’ download naman the last two episodes I want (the site he found carries too big-a-file that downloading just finished today). 

I’d view what he got in a few hours.  I hope they are good copies. 

Lesson from the experience: when someone says I look like a Korean character, never believe.  I mean c’mon, Ria, you know very well you’re not singkit, waif-y, and fair-skinned J!

With music from kris’ ipod blasting in my ears, I was busy checking the footnotes of a yet to be promulgated decision within our division.  Oblivious, the very distant fire alarm was ringing na pala (it was on the ground floor, we are on the third floor). Then came the smell of smoke. 

Still, I dismissed everything as the usual alarm tripping off and that the smoke must have come from a ‘siga’ stoked by some laborers doing some repairs somewhere in our old compound again. 

Some seconds later, we heard people screaming “Fire!” Then, the sound of splintering glass and some pounding.

I just can’t believe it, “may sunog nga!”

Test of instincts pala talaga when put in a panic state due to fire:  I ran to my cube contemplating what to do, what to take along. I ended up grabbing my valuables; stashing my old codals in my bag; pulled my computer plug from the socket; and turning off the air-con nearest my cube.  All these while, one of my officemate was shouting to just evacuate as there is no time to take stuff or be concerned with electronics.

When our door was finally opened, we retreated and opted to exit from our inner staircase onto our 2^nd floor door.  Mausok na masyado sa third floor and pumasok bigla sa amin. 

By the 2^nd floor door, Win2x and I heard the guards shouting, sa “Session Hall!”  Panic-stricken-dumbness made us think we were being told to run to the Session Hall.  A few steps towards that direction, we saw thicker smoke spewing from the Session Hall — only then it clicked that the focal point of the fire is there!

And so we ran quickly to the opposite direction; stopped by JM’s office; meeting Mildz amidst evacuating employees; through the skywalk, calling Jove to make sure he’s also evacuating; and coming out to Padre Faura where fire trucks suddenly came in troves. 

Panicked, yet admittedly exciting din ‘coz what an experience! However, I was all the while very sad.  I was praying

sana

ma-control agad yung fire ‘coz our office is near the Session Hall.  How will we work if fire engulfed our area?  What will happen if records/rollos are damaged by either the fire or water? 

Thanks to our very alert guards and the fast responding firemen, the fire was immediately put off.  At the end of the day, only the front part of the session hall (the area where the justices sit) was burned; while the rest of the area until the main staircase and the entrance hall ceiling were drenched in water. 

Tuloy ang hustisya! J

Aside:  I got very high fever by night time.  Delayed anxiety reaction?   

happy two-month homecoming, tita madre! 

Kris got this new still-not-yet-shown-in-the-Philippines DVD series, “Heroes.”  I was planning on skipping the whole thing but Mitch also built up the excitement for it that I ended up marathon-watching with Kris the past two nights…and we’re still not yet done (so most likely, at it again tomorrow)! 

The series is parang mala-X-Men ang concept and kinda dark, suspense, disturbing. 

Hay, sucker! Losing sleep over a show and having nightmares about it again J. 

Aside: ETC is showing some teasers of “How I Met Your Mom” already.  Go watch if it comes on the local cable tube.  It features a funny and a very different Neil Patrick Harris a.k.a. Doogie Howser, M.D. J

Second aside:  start of American Idol on January 17 (both ABC 5 and StarWorld).