SANA’Y WALA NANG WAKAS
Our cable has been down for several days already. Don’t know why. But honestly, even before that since I got sick, I have been watching the daily soap operas on Channel 2. (PROUD TO BE JOLOGS!) I never liked Diether nor Kristine Hermosa, but the past days they have been filling my need to be kilig. Their developing love story has been quite interesting and creatively done (ah, yes! the wonders of TV… a controlled romance). And I am not easily pleased with Filipino romances, but SWNK got me hooked.

STEPHEN KING
… is a wonderful and masterful story weaver! I just have to say that. I love his stories! I am already midway through “The Body.” And as far as I can tell, “Stand by me” barely changed anything in the movie. They did remove some and added some but on a forgivable level. And I love the story as much as I love the movie.

BRIDAL SHOWER
Honestly, I think this movie deserves to be Second Best Picture and that Jett Jetuirian would be a good alternative to Mark Meilly’s as Best Director. Storywise, it has more substance than Mano Po 2 and Filipinas. Those two movies might just have made second and third best picture by theme rather than actual story telling and direction.
It is somewhat a Pinoy version of Sex and the City, where women are as open of their sexual needs as men. Even with the gradual liberation of women nowadays, generally that topic remains taboo in this Christian country.
The movie is witty and funny without having to be slapstick. Characters are real and interesting. And they seemed to have done their research well. The three girls work in an advertising company and they were able to use the terms correctly. Or when Joebert the macho dancer tries to become an insurance agent, my mom (who sell insurance also) was happy about hearing the 10-3-1, garden and harvest terms. She was nodding all throughout the insurance training scene.
There were still some missing parts in the movie. It was never really able to establish who the real father Francine Prieto’s child was. And that was something I kept looking for in the movie. But then at the end, you just have to live with the fact that it wasn’t a point Jeturian really wants to make.
Cherry Pie Picache, as usual, does well with her character. She was supposed to be overweight in the movie and the loser among the three, I honestly thought she was the most beautiful. Dina is a hot mama, but I honestly do not find her that sexy. But when you remember how old she is, then you realize she is. Good thing she got this movie instead of Mano Po 2. (The character she and Lorna Tolentino were fighting about? It isn’t that great. I don’t see why they had to fuss .)
I see the future of Philippine Cinema getting brighter.

Except we still can’t come up with the same level of political dramas Lino Brocka and Behn Cervantes was able to do back in the 80’s. The attempt of Hubog (movie interjected with Edsa Tres scenes) and Filipinas ( along with every political problem you can think about). But at least, we are making our movies simpler, fresher and with more impact than before.

I still get affected when I see Ali Sotto interviews. It's good to hear that more Pinoys are willing to donate their organs after the Miko Sotto incident.

By the way, I did not know he studied in Benilde. Poor kid.

After more than one month, I finally used the bathroom where my cell phone got flushed in. Not by choice though, the bathroom upstairs got locked so I had to use the one downstairs. My thoughts... that phone must be really small. It has been a month and it has not clogged! Hehehe!

I'm back to work. Sick leave. First day seem fine though I have occasional headaches and drowsiness. At least I can start doing something. Hopefully, I will be in tip-top shape soon so I can go around Mindanao again.

BIGOTILYO of Parokya ni Edgar is TRIPLE PLATINUM already. This is no mean feat in a world of pirated CDs. Goody!

The past few days I have been watching tributes to Miko Sotto. I have never seen the boy except for Fantastic Man. But it seems he was really a nice kid. I admire Ali Sotto for being so gracious about the whole thing. She even donated his eyes to an Eye Bank. Ang galing. Bilib ako. Few people would have thought of that, especially a death as tragic as Miko's. 21 years old and gone. Hay. Sabi nga ng kanta ni Michael Jackson, gone too soon.

Happy New Year, everyone!

The past few weeks have been quite depressing for me. Must be the holiday blues since most of my friends are in Manila and I'm stuck here in Davao. But when I got to talk to Dove on the phone before she left for London, I am more hopeful of the coming year. We just started thinking of the possibilities that 2004 could bring. It made everything more bearable.

Christmas I just received two gifts. From my bro and sis. My mom bought me a study table weeks before. I am getting old. It's only my immediate family that I am getting gifts from. I feel a bit sad about it, but not bitter. Fact of life. Been getting less and less gifts every year.

But I am happy giving gifts to others. When I got text messages from the people I gave gifts too thanking me that they really liked it, it made the effort of looking for the right gift and packing it all worth it. That's the best complement to a gift-giver, that it is liked and used.

So back to the grind it is for me tomorrow. Went to the doctors the whole day today. Hopefully it will be a better year.