Filed under: Mastercard moments, if you know what I mean
Mama, maraming salamat na nung bata ako, binilhan mo ako ng Funny Komiks at Liwayway bawat linggo, sinama sa nobena sa Baclaran tuwing Miyerkules, sinama sa pakikipagtawaran sa palengke ng Pasig kada Sabado, pinasakay ng jeep at bus na ako ang nag-aabot ng bayad, tinuruan mo akong gumamit ng acronyms para masaulo ang mga pwedeng itanong sa enumeration, pinabayaan mo akong maglaro ng patintero at taguan kahit gabi na, pinatatawas mo ako kapag hindi na gumagaling ang lagnat ko, bumibili ka ng Tempo at pinapasagot sa akin ang tagalog na crossword puzzle, gumagamit ka ng mga salitang “tanyag” at “eskaparate” sa pang-araw-araw, binilhan mo ako ng mga Adarna at Batibot books tulad ng paborito kong “Si Inggolok at ang Planeta Pakaskas”, tinuruan mo akong gumamit ng kusot at tinunaw na krayola sa poster-making contest, pinapanood nyo ni Lolo sa akin ang Cinderella at The Sound of Music, pinagtayuan mo ako ng “Ann’s Sari-Sari Store” at pinagbenta ng Hope at mga delata na “No Credit Pls”, dahil dahil dyan, naging ako ako ngayon, at gusto ko ito.
Filed under: Please, it's more than just a piece of celluloid | Tags: film, pelikula
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?/ I’ve beeen to CCP to submit my film.//
(It’s nice when a coffeeshop has free wi-fi, but it’s even nicer when the socket’s not working. Which means I cannot use my laptop and I have to use pen and paper instead. Great. (I’m laughing at myself ‘coz even I cannot decide if I’m being sarcastic or not.) 08/30/10 Kocco, Morato, 16:15)
Filed under: Please, it's more than just a piece of celluloid, See, life ain't so bad (today at least), Thankful for Work Nonetheless | Tags: berlin, films, pelikula
I just received news that my short film will be screened at the Asian Hotshots Film Festival in Germany on October. I told my good friend Chinggay about it and asked her if she wants to come to Berlin and watch the Festival with me. The hotel accommodations will most probably be free, but the airfares and food, I don’t think the Festival will shoulder it. We were both so excited, me already starting to daydream about the (automatic) applause when the credits roll, that we forgot that round-trip tickets to Berlin will cost not lower than 80,000 pesos, plus the money we’ll spend on German sausages during the days we’ll be tired eating Yakisoba.
Chinggay says she’ll probably just use the money to buy her dream car next year. It disappointed me a little, then she adds, if my film’s competing, then by all means, I should go. My film’s just for exhibition. This won’t be the last time, I’m sure, Chinggay says, and although we were just talking through SMS messaging, I felt that she talked with so much conviction and sincerity–
–That I actually believe her.
Filed under: In love or something like it, Lord, give me patience, yung madami, Mastercard moments, if you know what I mean, See, life ain't so bad (today at least) | Tags: canada, michael angelo, miss universe, venus raj
There were three messages on my cellphone inbox when I woke up today.
One was from our client at our P2 camera rental business. She’s a student. She informed me that the shoot scheduled for 6am today is “cancel po ung shoot namin 2m” (“our shoot tomorrow is cancelled”). She sent it at 12:33am. I read the message at 6:09am, and our caretaker Marj was already at the meeting place (the call time was 6am), wondering why there still aren’t any FEU students in Jollibee Morayta. I counted from 1 to 10, inhaled, exhaled, then sent our client an SMS message saying that I read her message just now and that she shouldn’t have assumed that I got it without getting a reply from me saying so. I composed the message with much self-control. I was very tempted to lecture her about film production ethics and sentido comon but she’s still a client, and they’re still renting from us on Tuesday. They better.
Another was from my boyfriend saying Mexico is probably doubly happy that they won the Miss Universe instead of Ms Philippines Venus Raj since they almost always lose against us and Pacquiao. He sent it at 12:09am. I like receiving messages like this from him. It makes me feel like the best friend you tell random thoughts to that other people won’t find worth listening to, like “ito listahan ng mga bibilhin ko: vit C na malaki, yung parang pandelata, damit, pantalon, medyas, iPod Touch na 32G, tsaka yung tsinelas mong Ipanema” (“here’s my to-buy list: big-sized Vit C, as big as a tin can, shirts, pants, socks, 32G iPod Touch, and your Ipanema flip-flops”). I’m not his best friend; he doesn’t tell me that I am, but he’s 30, and when you’re 30, and especially when you’re male, you’re way past the stage when you tell your best friend that she’s your best friend. When you’re 30, you just hope that she knows.
The last was from my friend from Canada. She sent it at 4am Manila time, which is around 1pm in Vancouver. She sent me a virtual hug with the URL of her latest blog post. She called it “Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy”. It made me smile, and I thought to myself, she’s probably already received the package that I sent, but I’m not sure why it would bring pools of sorrow. Sorrow is such a strong word, and when it comes in pools, well, it’s good to know she’s a good swimmer. I read her post, and I realized she hasn’t received the package yet. She talked about her moving out, her mom and dad, and her plans to help them out in their finances. I’m sending her virtual hugs right now. I always like reading her. She’s a great writer, and I feel like she’s really talking to (only) me when she writes. She’s my best friend, and I always tell her that. I’m only 26, you know.
Filed under: Gusto Ko Series, In love or something like it | Tags: love, michael angelo, pag-ibig
Gusto ko kapag paggising ko sa umaga, may text galing sa kanya, alas-sais ng umaga niya pinadala, sabi, Pwede ba kitang makita mamaya?
Filed under: In love or something like it, Mastercard moments, if you know what I mean | Tags: pag-ibig, UP
I was upset that he forgot about our “monthly anniversary” and he said sorry. Then several weeks later, we heard a song being played on the resaurant we were in, and he told me, do you remember this song? I said, No, why?, and he said, it was the song playing on the taxi we were in on the night of our first date at the Sunken Garden. Oh, I said.
I really don’t remember the song, and after that, I don’t get too upset anymore.
Filed under: I'm channeling Brian Andreas, who's he?, you ask, and I figured you've been missing half of your life | Tags: brian andreas
I’m channeling Brian Andreas, I say. Who’s he?, you ask, and I figured you’ve been missing half of your life, and I think it shows.
My mother is complaining that she’s already about to go to the mall to buy things for our house when her older sister called and asked her to type a document she needs encoded and printed as soon as possible. She always does that, my mother says, and she continues to rant, then she goes to the computer, opens Word, and begins to type.
When you’ve already declared that it’s going to be a great day, you’ll get an e-mail from work asking you to do some paperwork and finish it before tomorrow’s meeting at noon, and what do you do? You go on making this day the great day that you declared, and do the paperwork when the great day finally calls it a day, even if it means three o’clock in the morning. It’s called first come first served.
