raising a monster

Actually ang buong title nito ay Raising a Monster – Scenes from a Burger Joint.  Mga eksena kasi itong nahagip ng ewan ko ba naman at kahit singkit na mata ko eh kung ano-anong nakikita kapag kumakain sa mga burger houses or any other fastfood joint at may mga batang nasa paligid.  Oh yeah, pati bata pinatulan! Hahaha...

Having a quick bite in burger houses here in the Phl is an entirely different experience compared to that in KSA.  Sa Saudi kasi, separate ang family section kaya ang tulad kong singgol ay pwedeng kumain nang tahimik sa isang sulok. Hindi tulad dito sa Pinas na pag minalas-malas ka, you’ll choke on your fries pag nagulantang ka ng mga nagtatalunang paslit.  Much more the sound of their shrill screams when they throw serious tantrum coz mom or dad didn’t get them the toy that doesn’t really come free with the kiddie meal.

I can only grimace in silence pag ganito ang mga eksenang nakikita ko.  Little brats na hindi kayang kontrolin ng mga magulang lalo na sa public places. At first, nakaka-awa ang mga magulang dahil napapahiya sila syempre.  Worse, nakaka-awa sila dahil more likely than not, sila din ang sisipain o sisigaw-sigawan ng mga batang ito pag lumaki na at dinala ang pagiging monster ng mga ito. 

Wala akong parenting experience kaya hindi ko sasabihing may authority ako na magsabi ng ganito ganyan sa pagpapalaki ng bata.  But from a plain onlooker’s view, nakakainis lang na kaliliit pang bata pero naging monster na. Sana lang, parents would exert more effort to take on their role as parents.  For their own good and, most importantly, for the kid’s.

Scene 1: Physically challenged ba?

Isang Tatay, kinarga si little boy sa harap ng counter.  Cute.  Hindi kasi maabot ni little boy yong counter from where he can see the pictures of the kiddie meal.  Cute nga di ba.

But just outside the glass panel, sa labas nong burger place, ibang eksena ng kargahan ang nangyayari.  Si little girl na nagha-hopscotch pa while walking along the mall’s corridor, biglang nagpapa-karga kay Mommy.  Eh porma si Mommy kaya no-no.  Andyan kasi si yaya.  So si yaya na medyo payat naman, kinarga si little girl na hindi naman little dahil mukhang 80 kilos ang bigat.

What’s wrong?  Ewan ko pero it doesn’t sit right to me.  Kung hindi physically challenged ang bata, let him or her walk.  Gawin ang mga bagay na kaya nyang gawin.  Karga is cute sometimes like the father and the kid in front of the counter.  Pero pag ganito, that’s plain laziness and rottenness for me.

Wag ka ng magtaka Mommy pag lumaki ang anak mong maarte, tamad or pala-asa at pala-utos.  Coz that’s exactly what you’re teaching your girl right now.

Scene 2: Bibo vs Pilyo

This little boy na parang kiti-kiti keeps on running around the place.  Wala kasing play area yong McDo na kinakainan ko.  So ginawa ni little boy na play area ang buong lugar.  Takbo dito, takbo don.  Eh nasagi si staff na may ise-serve na food.  Buti na lang hindi bumagsak ang tray ni staff.  What did the boy do?  Just stare at the staff and resumed his running streak. Walang sori-sori!

A few minutes passed.  Napagod na siguro katatakbo ang kiti-kiti kaya umupo na at kumain.  Pero maligalig.  Naririnig ko ang angilan nila nong Nanay.  Pati yong katabi nyang bata (which I suppose is his brother) inaaway nya.  Maya-maya binatukan na si little brother.  Ngalngal si binatukan.  Si Mommy, piningot si kiti-kiting nambatok.  Dalawa na ang ngumalngal!

I know kids can be too much to handle lalo na pag pilyo.  Pero ang alam ko rin, hindi nakukuha sa pingot ang ganon.  I think mas effective kung kakausapin, papangaralan at ii-explain kung ano yong ginawa nya.  Teaching kids the idea of right and wrong can never be through pingot or any physical pain na ii-inflict mo sa kanya.

DSWD is now on the lookout for parents physically hurting their children.  This is no longer the dark ages where the adage ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ is a creed.  Kaya dapat ibang strategy ang gamitin ni Mommy para si kiti-kiti ay mailagay sa tamang ayos.  I just wish she’d find that strategy and find it soon.  Dahil potential barumbado si kiti-kiti and heaven knows what he will be ten, twenty years from now.

Scene 3: The high and mighty.

I’m seated facing a young family.  Mga late 20’s lang siguro si Mommy at Daddy.  Mommy tends to the toddler na naka-high chair while their obviously elder child, a boy (must be 5 or 6 years old) seems to be sulking.  Nagmamaktol. Ayaw kumain. 

Naririnig kong pinipilit hingin sa Daddy yong toy na nasa picture ng kiddie meal.  No ng No si Daddy.  Eat your food.  No.  Eat your food or i’ll leave you here.  O di ba ang sosyal ni Daddy.

Pero alam ko hindi sosyal yong ginagawa nya sa little boy nya.  Nagmamarakulyo ang bata but instead of using other tactics, Daddy is throwing his weight as the one who’s bigger and mightier between the two of them.  Kaya si little boy ngumalngal na ng tuluyan.

Again, wala akong parenting experience pero hindi kaya magandang ginawa ni Daddy ay i-explain sa bata kung bakit hindi pwedeng ibigay ang hinihingi nya?  Again, talk.  Make him understand whatever your reason kung bakit hindi mo binibigay ang gusto nya.  A stern NO, no matter how authoritative wouldn’t do.  Bata yan eh, hindi nya maiintindihan kung hindi mo ii-explain.  At lalong hindi nya maiintindihan kung bakit may threat ka pang ginagawa.  Ayan, ayaw ng tumigil ni little boy sa pag-ngawa.

Scene 4: The Inquisition.

Katabi ng table ko ang table ni Mommy at little boy.  Mommy was so busy texting hindi ginagalaw ang pagkain while little boy munches happily on his burger and fries. Slurping pa on his soda, natatakot akong sumama sa pagsipsip si straw at mabilaukan ang bata ng hindi oras!

In between nguya ni little boy, he asks Mom so many things.  Bakit daw malamig ang ice.  Bakit daw color red ang catsup.  And so many things na inane para sa ating mga grown ups.

Gusto ko nang sagutin ang mga tanong ni little boy dahil si Mommy, hindi pinapansin si little boy.  Text pa rin ng text.  Kumain ka lang dyan.  Wag kang tanong ng tanong.  Sabi ba naman sa bata.

But the boy kept on with his inquisition.  Where’s daddy ba?  Obviously an innocent question from an innocent mind.  Akalain mong singhalan ni Mommy.  Shut up.  Sabi ba naman. 

Effective dahil tumahimik ang bata.  Pero gusto kong batukan si Mommy.  Kung may problema ka sa asawa mo, wag mong i-shut up ang bata.  Asking questions is your little boy’s way of saying na “Mommy I want to learn something today”.  Eh bakit sina-shut up mo?  Don’t you want your kid to learn things?

Granted na may LQ si Mommy at si Daddy.  Baka may kabit si Daddy kaya mainit ang ulo ni Mommy.  But I pray that Mommy doesn’t do that ‘shut-up’ stunt all the time.  Kawawang bata walang matututunan kungdi shut up!

So why am I making a blog out of this? 

Siguro to remind parents to be more careful in dealing with their kids.  Dahil may mga katulad kong walang magawa sa buhay at pati parenting skills nila ay nakikita at pinapatulan.  Damn, I should stop eating at those fastfood chains soon.  Kung ano-ano na ang nakikita ko! Hahaha.

epic fantasy overload

I just finished a nearly 20-hour marathon of epic fantasy overload courtesy of HBO’s biggest TV series to date, Game of Thrones.  In a spread of 4 days I finished all 20 episodes of Seasons 1 and 2 (meron na palang Season 3 pero hahanapin ko pa sa internet).  At eto lang ang masasabi ko: Maganda... sana! 

Let me tell you first kung bakit nagandahan ako.  It’s because of the theme – medieval culture.  Kings and queens, lords and ladies, knights and warriors, kingdoms and castles...  I must be a reincarnation of someone from the royal house of whatever.  Maitim man ang balat ko at singkit ang mata ko ngayon, I really suspect descendant ako ng mga taong ito na nabuhay noong mga panahong yon.  Otherwise I really can’t explain my fascination with their lives and stories. Kaya bentang-benta sa akin itong GOT.

It has a huge storyline which basically intertwines three plots.  First is the scramble for the Iron Throne (thus the title) which deals with greed, deception, cunning, carnage, and anything that is required to grab power.  Then there’s the story of the Nightwalkers which has the element of supernatural dahil may mga blue-eyed zombies. And third is the story of a deposed heir to the Iron Throne planning to regain their lost glory with the help of three dragons. 

If there’s one thing obvious sa GOT, ito ay ang malaking budget.  Halata mo kasi na ginastusan talaga ang production kaya lumalabas na authentic medieval world ang pinapanood mo, may kasama pang touches of fantasy na kung titipirin ang budget ay lalabas na kakatawa.  At a cost of 60$ million for Season 1 and Season 2 on a bigger budget, kitang-kita mo ang production values noong series.

Cast pa lang ang dami-dami na.  As I started the first episode of Season 1, I tried counting the main characters pero habang natatapos ko each episode, hindi na ako nagbilang.  There’s just too many of them kaya mawawala ang focus ko sa story kung magbibilang ako.

Malaking budget sigurado ang naubos sa location. According to Wiki, it was shot daw in different places including Northern Ireland, Croatia, Malta, Morocco, Iceland and a few more others.  Kaya para kang nagta-travel habang nanonood.  One scene you’ll be in the middle of snow-capped mountains.  Tapos biglang nasa loob ka ng isang castle.  Tapos mapupunta ka sa isang desert where a nomadic tribe lives.  Balik sa sibilisasyon ng isang city.  Crypts, courts, chambers, dungeons, marketplace, bedroom,  brothel, farm, forest...  ang ganda ng mga setting.  Breathtaking ang wide shots ng snow-covered The Wall, the creepy yet majestic Veil Kingdom, ng bustling city of King’s Landing, ng mga disyertong dinadaanan ng mga Dothrakis, the eerily beautiful castle in the Iron Island at marami pang shots na talagang dadalhin ka far from where you are sitting at that moment.

Equally impressive din ang costumes.  Very royal ang suot ng King, Queen, prince and princesses, Lords and Ladies, The court council and even the non-royal but wealthy family like the Lannisters.  Very peasant ang suot ng mahihirap, you can see and almost smell the filth in their ragged and tatted clothes.  Bulky and black ang mga Night’s Watchmen dahil frozen planet ang location nila.  Ang ganda ng mga body armor ng mga warriors.  Skimpy and filthy rin ang mga Dothrakis. At mas skimpy ang mga whores na aagaw ng attention mo dahil ang nipis ng mga suot na ang daling hubarin para sa kanilang trabaho (I’ll tell you more about this later).

Sa laki nitong GOT, ang daming directors na humawak.  At least ito nabilang ko.  Season 1 started with Tim Van Patten who directed the first two episodes.  Then Brian Kirk did ep 3, 4 and 5.  Daniel Minahan did ep 6, 7 and 8.  Alan Taylor did ep  9 and 10. Balik si Alan Taylor sa Season 2 dahil sya ang nag-direct ng first two episodes.  Then Alik Sakharov on ep 3 na hindi yata nagustuhan ng HBO dahil biglang si David Petrarca na ang nag-direct ng ep 4 and 5. David Nutter took on ep 6 and 7.  Balik si Alan Taylor sa ep 8.  Neil Marshall on ep 9 at one shot din sya tulad ni Sakharov dahil dyarannn... Alan Taylor ulit ang finale sa ep 10.

May ilan akong nakitang episodes na iba ang sumulat pero ang principal writers ay sina David Benioff and DB Weiss.  Based daw ito sa series of fantasy novels ni George Martin na A Song of Ice and Fire na hindi ko naman nabasa kaya hindi ko pwedeng sabihin how faithful the tv adaptation was to the original material.

Marami man ang sumulat at nag-direct, HBO was successful in maintaining the entire look and feel of the whole thing.  May consistency sa treatment ng story kaya akala mo isang director lang ang gumawa.  Kaya siguro naging very successful ito dahil milyones daw ang tumutok sa HBO at naipalabas pa sa maraming countries, the Philippines included.  May mga nomination at award din daw itong napanalunan.  Which is not surprising because the technical aspect and the acting of some of the players were notable particularly Peter Dinklage whose character Tyrion Lannister was one of my favorites.

Pero... as I said at the start of this post, MAGANDA... SANA.

Sa development and presentation ng ilang characters at situations ako may nakitang sablay.  Ito yong lagi kong tinututukan dahil dito maraming sumasabit na directors at writers.  They tend to over-dramatize a few things para lang sa tinatawag nilang cinematic effect.  Pero ang dating sa akin, plain and simple katangahan.

Glaring and offensive ang pinag-gagawa ng character ni Lady Catelyn Stark.  She left her child in sickbed at kung saan-saan naglimayon.  Nagising na si anak, nagyera na at nasakop ang kanilang kingdom sa Winterfell, hindi pa rin sya umuuwi.  Her son Robb went to war dahil sa mga atraso ng mga Lannister sa kanilang pamilya.  And what did she do?  Undermine her son’s efforts by freeing their only pawn (Jamie Lannister) against their enemy.  If you (the writers and directors) wanted to present the picture of a powerful and respectful matriarch, don’t do these things to her.  Hindi ako nakaka-sympathize sa kanya.  Instead, I wanted to strangle her myself dahil sa katangahan nya.

You (again, writers and directors) gave Ned Stark to me as a man of courage and principles.  Bidang-bida sya sa tingin ko.  And what did you do?  Made him confess to treason na hinding-hindi dapat gawin ng isang tulad nya.  You should hear me shouting ‘serves you right’ when his head went off the chopping block!

I thought the Starks should be the heart of the entire story.  Pero bakit pati ang bastard son ni Ned, si John Snow, ay ginawa nyo ring engot?  Gigil na gigil syang maging ranger ng Night’s Watch.  But as soon as he gets the chance, he blew it big time.  Hindi mapatay ang kalaban all because she was a girl.  Instead, ang commander nya ang pinatay nya.  Bakeeettt?  Tinali nya ang babaeng bihag nya, naglakad sila ng naglakad habang daldalan ng daldalan.  Pampahaba?  Aysus ang haba na nga ng istorya nyo eh.

Eto pa.  Theon Greyjoy who went back to his father after 17 years of living with the Starks, was told by his father (Lord of Pyke) to seize Winterfell.  Ganda sana ng effect dahil ultimate treason ang ginawa ni Theon.  Ang pamilyang nagpalaki sa kanya at ang bayang kinalakihan nya eh sinakop nya. Pinagpapatay pa ang mga tao doon. Ang katangahan, nasakop na si Winterfell pero eto si Lord Greyjoy at biglang pinapauwi na lang si Theon.  Pull out na daw.  Watdaaaa?

Marami pang butas ang story but the biggest one for me is this:  all three of Queen Cersei’s children are fathered by her brother Jamie (oh yeah, incest is their game) na hindi man lang nalaman ni King Robert?  I could have swallowed that kung ginawa nyong baog si King Robert without him knowing it.  Pero hindi.  He fathered many bastards outside the palace na pinapatay ni Queen Cersei.  Bakeetttt?  Can’t mount his wife because of a long lost love pero nakakabuntis ng ibang babae?  If that is the case, hindi ba nagtaka si King kung bakit nabubuntis si Queen eh hindi naman nya nagagalaw?  Ginawa nyong tanga si King pero in the end, it is the viewers you’re taking for a fool.

At sa haba ng ginawa nila, may isang malaking scene na ini-expect ko pero hindi ko nakita.  Ang funeral rites ni King Robert where it could have been the best opportunity to present the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms.  Bakit wala?  Sinabi lang na may Seven Kingdoms pero hindi naman na-pakita ang mga rulers noon which is vital to the story.

Ang mga ganitong detalye ang hindi dapat pinapayagan because it kills the integrity of the characters and in the end, nakakawala ng interes.  Sa halip na gusto ko pang tutukan ang nangyayari doon sa character, I’m just wishing na mawala na lang sya sa eksena dahil wala na akong bilib sa character nya.

Aside from these ‘katangahan’, meron pa akong isang napansin.  Ang daming eksena ng daldalan.  Lenghty conversations na dapat sana ay ginawa mas concise to pull the whole story a lot tighter.  Yakyakan ng yakyakan ang pagkadami-daming character.  Even unimportant characters were given lengthy dialogs.  May mga instances nga na gusto ko ng i-fast forward yong pinapanood ko. 

I wish there were more scenes of actual battle.  Pero iisa ang talagang labanan and that was in episode 9 of the second season.  Yong mga battle ni Rob and the Lannisters, pinapakita lang that the army are preparing for war.  Next scene, tapos na ang gyera at mga patay na lang ang dinadaanan ng camera! Hayayayayyy!

If there’s one thing GOT has got plenty of, it’s blood.  Putulan ng ulo, saksakan, kamay na tinagpas, bitukang dinudukot, matang sinaksak ng espada, espadang tumagos sa bungo and so many other gory and graphic scenes.  I thought Centurion was ruthless pero wala sa kalahati ng dugo na sumirit dito sa GOT.  Ang dami sigurong catsup na naubos sa shooting!

But wait, it’s not only blood overflowing in GOT.  Pati laman.  Flesh.  Not the one being sliced, pierced and cut by the sword.  But the naked bodies of men and women so generously sprinkled all over the two seasons.  Women, especially the whores, drop their robes in an instant as cameras focus on boobs of different sizes and shapes.  Maraming babae ang nag-full frontal dito which I suspect were struggling actresses hoping for the big break na akala nila makukuha nila if they show everything on cam.  May ilang lalaki din ang nag-full monty particularly the not-so-handsome Theon Greyjoy.   Pero bakit naman pati yong nitwit na taga-buhat ni Lord Bran, pinag-bomba pa? Anong relevance?

Kailangan man sa eksena o hindi, wag ka ng magugulat kung biglang may hubaran na mangyayari.  Kaya dapat walang minors sa harap ng Tv pag nanonood ka nito.  I suspect HBO censored these scenes when it was shown here in the Philippines dahil siguradong mag-aalburoto ang mga manong at manang ng simbahan kung hindi nila ginawa. Though I would find it hard to cut some sex scenes dahil ginawang backdrop ng ilang importanteng conversation na kung puputulin ay mawawala ang continuity ng story. 

Hindi ko masasabing big favorite itong GOT unlike World Without End which I reviewed in previous post here in DS.  Mas malaki nga, mas epic at mas maganda sana itong GOT pero dahil nga may ilang flaws akong nakita, I still consider the tighter and more logical WWE better.

Ewan ko lang if Season 3 will change what I’ve said.  Wala pa kasing closure ang mga characters at stories dito sa Season 2.  At hindi ko rin alam kung hanggang ilang season paabutin ng HBO ang series.  But until the story is finally told, only then will I decide if I will encourage you to spend 20 or 30 hours of your time in front of the television!  

18 on 18

18 months nang...

1.       Wala nang tatlong alarm clocks  na nanggigising sa umaga na lahat naman ay ini-snooze din saka hihirit pa ng tulog kaya laging last minute kung bumangon

2.       Hindi nagmamadaling mag-shower, mag-bihis at tatakbo sa bus stop para hindi maiwan ng service. Sa kakamadali may sinturerang hindi nasuotan ang belt.

3.       Wala nang good morning how are you fine thank you na ilang libong beses nang kumulili sa tenga.

4.       Walang libreng kape, coffeemate at tsaa sa pantry.

5.       Wala nang sangkatutak na meeting na kailangang atenan kahit pa hate ang ka-meeting. Kunyari nakikinig pero iniisip kung ano ang magandang ipainom sa kanya  – dora o silver cleaner.

6.       Hindi na trabaho ang kinukutkot sa computer, games na lang, fesbuk, blog at kung ano-ano pa

7.       Walang deadlines, schedule, objectives, evaluations, presentations at ang pinaka-da bes... walang pressure

8.       Walang nakaka-high blood na email o tawag sa telepono na sinasagot ng mas nakaka-high blood na email o talak sa phone.

9.       Hindi nagtatago sa CR para umidlip dahil antok na antok kahit 9 am pa lang

10.   Hindi nagtitiis sa pagkain sa cafeteria during lunch na bangla o itik ang nagluto

11.   Hindi natutulog after lunch ng nakasubsob sa office table at magigising dahil naririnig ang sarili na naghihilik

12.   Hindi na tingin ng tingin sa oras, halos tuktukan ang relo para bumilis ang takbo at mag-alas kuwatro na at maka-uwi

13.   Walang pa-sosyal na dinners sa steakhouse at pa-sosyal na macchiato na hindi talaga inuubos para mabitbit sa labas at makita ng mga utaw na sa Starbucks nag-kape

14.   Wala nang plis sadik dagika sa tinderong nagsasara na ng kanyang shop dahil sumisigaw na ang salla

15.   Hindi na napapaso ng 45 degrees na init or nagdudoble-doble ng jacket para hindi manginig ang baba sa sobrang lamig

16.   Hindi na natatakot bumirit sa videoke dahil wala ng mutawang kakatok sa pinto

17.   Hindi na nagtsa-chat na biglang imi-minimize pag lumapit ang boss at magkukuwaring bising-bisi sa trabaho

18.   At... wala nang sweldong dumadapo sa kamay.

18 months nang tahimik at masaya ang buhay! 

world without end

Thanks to Star Movies I found World Without End.  Nadaanan ko lang sya while channel surfing one night, kaso nasa last part na pala.  Kaya hanap agad online at yon nga, kagabi kinumpleto kong panoorin ang 8 episodes na 45 minutes each.  Umaga na naman akong natulog.  Pero sulit na sulit ang puyat dahil maganda.  If not, I would have dropped it at the first few frames.  At hindi ako sisipagin na mag-review dito sa DS.

It’s a Tv adaptation of Ken Follett’s novel of the same title.  Na ewan naman kung bakit hindi na lang ginawang pelikula dahil sa laki ng story, ng cast, production values at haba ng kwento, pwedeng tatlong movies ang kalalabasan. 

It’s one epic story of 14^th century England – particularly a place called Kingsbridge where, in the usual Follett’s genius, kings and queens, bishops and priors, builders and lovers, peasants and witches were all woven into one intricate story of love, deceit, greed, scheming, war and death.

Continuation daw ito ng kwento ng The Pillars of the Earth, an earlier novel by Follett na ginawan din ng Tv version at sa Star Movies ko rin napanood.  Pero according to what I read online, kung ang Pillars daw ay malapit sa Follett novel ang kinalabasan ng tv adaptation, ito raw WWE ay malayo.  I wouldn’t know dahil hindi ko nabasa ang mga book. 

Basta ang alam ko, I was impressed by both Tv adaptations no matter how faithful it remained to the original material or not.  At kung napa-hanga ako ng Pillars, mas napa-bilib ako dito sa WWE.  Mas malawak ang kwento, mas maraming characters at mas malupit ang mga twist na hindi mo aasahan each episode.  

At the heart of the tale is the love story between Caris, a young medical practitioner-accused of black magic-turned nun-turned prior-then back to being just a peasant girl,  and Merthin, a brilliant young builder which is the equivalent of an architect (or engineer) in our present times.  For the bigger part of the story akala mo hindi sila magkakatuluyan dahil kung ano-ano na ang pinagdaanan ng love story nila.  But because it’s a love story, sila pa rin syempre sa huli.

Kwento rin ito ng power struggle at agawan sa korona amongst King Edward II, his wife Queen Isabella and their son King Edward III who led England to war with France in what is now known as The Hundred Years War na totoo namang nangyari sa English history.

Then there’s the story of Petranilla, a scheming widow played by Cynthia Nixon whose role here was a total departure from her Miranda character in Sex & the City.  You’ll hate her cunning dito sa istorya as she kills and orchestrates her way para maging importanteng mga tao ang dalawa nyang anak.  She almost had it – one became an Earl and the other a Bishop – two powerful men in the society during those years.  But they are both wicked just like their mother kaya may retribution sa dulo ng kwento.

And, in Follett’s tradition, kontrabidang-kontrabida ang simbahan dito.  Bishops and Priors wielding and abusing enormous powers borrowed from the cloak, the crucifix and the bible.  I don’t know how the Catholic church took it pero sa Pillars pa lang sila na ang isa sa mga kontrabida sa kwento ni Follett.

Idagdag mo pa ang istorya ni Sir Thomas Langley, a knight who sought refuge in the priory and became a monk.  Na later ay na-inlove sa isang kapwa monk din.  At si Caris as a nun na may eksena ng lesbianism with another nun.  If Follett or the writer who did the Tv adaptation intends to raise some eyebrows, he must have succeeded. 

With a 46$ million budget, nagawa ni Michael Caton-Jones na itawid ang malaking istorya on-screen. It was one huge project na kung hindi magaling ang director ay sasabog ang produkto. 

Of course magaling sigurado ang team niya, particularly the editors dahil walang sayang na eksena sa 6-hr running time noong buong series. Wala ding lumaylay na continuity.  At walang unresolved issues or characters na magtatanong ka kung anong nangyari pagdating ng ending.

His schedule masters and production coordinators must have had some sleepless nights.  Sa dami ng cast – central characters pa lang na more than 10 yata, plus minor roles not less than 30, plus the hundreds of bit players – managing their schedule must be a nightmare.

Medyo may sabit lang ang writer (John Pielmeier) dahil may mga dialog na napapa-isip ako kung talagang ginagamit na noong mga panahong yon.  I think i’ve heard a few lines here and there na parang contemporary ang dating instead of good old 14^th century.

Shot in Hungary, Slovakia and Austria, ang ganda-gandang lumabas ng cinematography so kudos to whoever is behind those cameras. At syempre, ang buong production team – from the set designers, propsmen, costume department – dahil nagmukhang authentic medieval England ang setting. 

Overall, it’s one good show you must watch kung katulad kita na mahilig sa mga kwento ng medieval England.  Ang maganda nito, kahit 6 hours yong buong kwento, you can watch it in parts.  Pwede mong gawing parang soap na susubaybayan mo ng 8 days.  But in my case, hindi ko tinantanan.  Ayaw ko kasing mabitin kaya ang ending, puyat.  But it’s all worth it i’m telling you.

super OFW

Sabi sa isang news report kagabi, ang bilang daw ng OFW sa ngayon ay umaabot na ng 10.6 million.  One-fourth daw yan or 25% ng total workforce ng pilipinas.  Ibig sabihin, sa bawat 4 na pilipinong manggagawa, 1 ay umaalis ng bansa.  Syempre para sa mas malaking kita. 

Top destination pa rin sa mga OFW ang USA, second ang Saudi Arabia at third ang UAE.  Although para sa akin, ang mga nasa USA, para namang hindi dapat na tawaging OFW.  Kasi alam mo naman dito sa Pinas, pag sinabing Yu-Es-Ey, totyal ang dating.  Kaya parang hindi sila trabahador.  In fact, they are treated more like gods and goddesses pag nandito sila.  “Oh I work in Cedars Sinai hospital.”  O kaya “My office is in One Rockefeller Plaza.” O di ba.  Nganga ka lang na parang bathala ang kausap mo.  

Eh kaming mga taga-Middle East, particularly sa Saudi? Parang... wala lang.  “Oh, so you work in Saudi?” sabi nga ng ilang sosyalerang na-meet ko dati.  Nakangiti nga sa yo pero alam mong may tumatakbong something sa isip.  Contempt most probably one of them.

Pag sa Middle East ka kasi nagta-trabaho, lalo na sa Saudi, aminin man natin o hindi, walang katotyalan na pag-uusapan.  Ang pinag-uusapan lang, ang kikitaing dolyares.  Ang mga eskandalosong gold necklace at makabulag-sa-laking singsing na suot ni Kabayan pag umuuwi ng Pinas.  Yon lang.  Other than that, ibang usapan pag buhay-Saudi ang kakaririn mo.

Common knowledge na kasi ang sakripisyong kailangan mong gawin kung doon ang punta mo.  The moment na nag-decide kang pumunta doon, kailangan mag-prepare ka ng matindi, mag-transform sa maraming bagay and in the end, become nothing short of a super hero.  Kaya nga siguro naimbento yang Bagong Bayani chuchu na yan eh.  Dahil kailangang mala-super hero ka pag ginusto mong maging Saudi boy o girl.

First, dapat mag-tanggal ka ng mga earthly pleasures na nakasanayan mo.  Di ba ang super hero walang bisyo?  Superman, Batman and Spidey never had a bottle of vodka on their hand.  Hindi rin sila nakikita sa saklaan, tong-itan o sa San Lazaro.  Lalong hindi sila womanizer dahil laging isa-isa lang ang leading lady nila. At lalong hindi sila inuumaga sa mga bar at kung saan-saang hang-outs na marami dito sa atin.

Ganon din pag nag-Saudi ka.  Kalimutan mo muna ang kinababaliwan mong Empraning o Red Horse.  Alam mo namang bawal kaya wag mo nang gawin.  Wag mo na rin ipagpatuloy ang karir mo as kabo ng weteng.  At kalimutan mo muna kung tirador ka ng mga bebot sa lugar nyo.  Dahil kung hindi mo aalisin ang mga bisyong yan, mas malamang kesa hindi, dagdag problema ka sa POEA at OWWA pag nagkataon.  Dami na nilang pino-problemang kabayan natin na naka-kulong dahil hindi napigilan ang pagiging pasaway.

In short, alam mong maraming bawal sa pupuntahan mo, paghandaan at sikapin mong igalang ang mga rules nila.  If you’re not ready to do that, wag ka na lang umalis.  Baka hindi ka pa nakakabayad ng ginamit mong placement fee, napauwi ka na ng Pinas.  May dala ka pang posas na remembrance.

Dapat physically prepared ka rin.  Something like Superman na wala lang kahit dilaan ng solar flares o mapunta sa ice caves. 

Anong nirereklamo mo sa 37 degrees na init ng Metro Manila?  Kung mason o pipe fitter ka at pupunta ka ng Saudi, humanda ka na sa 50 degrees ng init na titiisin mo araw-araw.  Pugon kung pugon ang labanan doon specially if you’re in the Riyadh/Central area where it is always hottest in summer.  Pagdating naman ng winter, adjust naman ang body systems mo sa near-zero temperature.  Masanay ka nang nanginginig ang baba mo, ang bilbil at lahat ng pwedeng manginig sa katawan mo. Uurong pati tutsang mo sa sobrang lamig.

Pero ang summer, madaling remedyuhan sa aircon ng kwarto o sasakyan. Ang winter, madaling kalabanin through several long johns, jackets at patong-patong na suot.  Ang pinaka-natatakot ako, pag nagsa-sand storm ng ilang araw.  Dumidilim ang buong paligid, malakas ang hangin at ang lumilipad na dala ng hangin ay buhangin (hmmm... nice rhyme).  Yong tipong kahit nasa loob ka ng kwarto mo, magugulat ka na may buhangin sa loob ng bibig mo.  Ibig sabihin, hindi na basta hangin lang ang nasisinghot ng respiratory system mo.

Dapat mentally tough ka rin.  Kung ano man ang galing na dala mo pag-alis mo ng Pinas, be ready to be tried, tested and sometimes bended pag nandoon ka na.  Ibang-iba kasi pag na-expose ka na sa international workforce.  Kung sanay ka dito na petek-petek ka lang sa trabaho dahil akala mo magaling ka, wait till some Western boss challenge your skills.  You might be the top of your batch in TESDA.  O La Salle grad ka.  But don’t stop there dahil marami ka pang matutunan na mas bago, advance at tama pag exposed ka na sa trabaho ng ibang lahi.

But of course kilala naman tayong mga Pinoy na magagaling sa trabaho.  Kaya nga mataas pa rin ang demand sa atin.  What I’m saying is, your mental and intellectual capacity will be assaulted in many ways and in many occasions.  At ang best na panglaban doon is for you to be open to new things, ideas and concepts.  One-track mind will not do you any good.

Of course hindi lang sa mismong trabaho may matututunan ka.  Pati sa people skills mo kailangang ihanda mo rin.  Matuto kang mag-pasensya, umunawa at gumamit ng sangkatutak na dipolomasya kapag ibang lahi na ang katrabaho mo. 

I’ve always had the shortest temper.  Kaya isa sa pinagmamalaki ko ay ang fact na wala akong nasapak na tao sa dinami-dami ng taon na nandoon ako.  Although maraming pagkakataon na muntik-muntikan nang umigkas ang kamay ko, in the end, talas na lang ng dila ang ginamit ko.  At least walang nakukulong for lashing out on somebody.  Malaking achievement yon para sa akin hahaha!

And now, ang pinaka-importante:  wag kang emo!  Kung gusto mo talagang mag-Saudi, umpisahan mo nang haluan ng bato, better yet, bakal ang puso mo.  Hiram ka kaya ng kryptonite kay Superman. Dahil kung lelembot-lembot ang dibdib mo, wag ka nang umalis.

You need not just to be physically and mentally strong.  Dapat, emotionally (and psychologically na rin) matigas ka.  Meron bang superhero na iyakin?  Baka konting miss mo lang sa asawa mo o syota mo, nag-ngangawa ka na.  Baka konting miss mo lang sa Nanay mo, nagsisigaw ka nang ‘uwi na akoooo’.

Being away from your family is tough.  Kung sanay ka sa Pinas na pag-uwi ng bahay, nakakalimutan ang stress sa trabaho dahil nandyan ang pamilya mo as your support system, walang ganon sa Saudi.  Buryong ka sa trabaho, uuwi ka ng bahay mo pero walang pamilya doon to distress you.

Although marami na ngayon ang naga-grant ng family status pero marami pa rin sa mga Kabayan natin doon ang hindi ganon ka-swerte.  All by myself pa rin ang drama nila.  And the best you can do is hang out with your flatmates, housemates and friends.  Na ang kinakauwian kadalasan ay inuman at videoke.  Ayan na ang umpisa ng problema!

Aside from that, dapat para ka ring si Superman o Spidey na laging nakataas ang warning systems.  Matalas ang pakiramdam sa mga danger.  Beware of things and situations na maaring ikapahamak mo.  Better yet, iwasan mo na lang na malagay sa mga sitwasyon na medyo mapanganib.  Wag ng gumala mag-isa kung disoras ng gabi.  Wala ka sa Roxas Boulevard para mamasyal at magpa-hangin.  Rape?  Holdap?  Bugbog?  Meron ding mga ganyang kaso doon.  So iwas ka na lang. 

So ano, gusto mong mag-Saudi para malaki ang kita?  Hindi sa dini-discourage kita.  Pero pinapa-alalahanan lang kita na pag pumunta ka doon, live up to the tag “hero”.  Dahil hindi ka lang hero sa ekonomiya ng Pinas.  Dapat mala-super hero ka rin mismo sa sarili mo para tumagal doon at ma-achieve kung ano man ang goal na sinet mo para sa iyong sarili. 

Being an OFW in Saudi is not a joke, it is a reality show (ay Alabang housewives ng Amazing Race yan hahaha).  Isang reality na mahirap, masakripisyo at minsan madugo.  Na hindi lahat ng gustong mag-Saudi ay kinakaya.  At doon sa mga Kabayan nating nagiging successful sa pagiging OFW sa Saudi, they do deserve the tag Bagong Bayani. Dahil talagang mala-super hero sila sa ginagawa nilang pagsisikap at pagsasakripisyo.

thanks... shukran.... salamat

it's been two months since my last visit here.  i don't blog as frequently as i did before. with only 8 posts last year, i must admit i let this blog fall on the wayside while i plunged into FB mode like many others.  i thought nobody would even notice.  so even if some idea hit me, i didn't bother going back to writing.  even my socio-political commentaries via hotnot fell flat despite the many issues i wanted to dip my finger into.

that is why i was pleasantly surprised when i found that this site is still being frequented by visitors, despite my being inactive for sometime.  looking at the site stats, i found quite a few interesting details.

site visits:  even if it takes months before posting something new, still i got more than 5,000 hits last month, 212 yesterday and 71 today....  cool! that definitely isn't a sign of a dead blog by any measure.

top post:: surprisingly, my article about computer games is the most read with 19,874 views. i wonder how many of them can even relate to the pre-ipad games that i mentioned in that post.  

the top 10 most read posts include mostly my commentaries on many things - from a film to a local beauty pageant to the london 2012 opening ceremonies. though what's inspiring is to know that 950 readers viewed my article about reducing our carbon footprint.  i wish that piece of writing had some positive effect on those 950 thinkers.  

however, what i'm happiest about is the fact that a total of 1,238 read two articles about my parents. again, i just wish that through these posts, people will go back and re-evaluate their relationship with the two most precious persons whom we owe our lives to.

audience: now this is most interesting for me.  

the biggest number of visitors i got is not from Saudi Arabia where i was based when i started this blog in 2008 until i came home to PI middle of last year.  it is only in 3rd place with 8,391 views. 

it's not also from the Philippines where, because of my posting which are mostly in Taglish (tagalog and english combo), my writings would normally be appreciated. it's in 2nd place with 36,559 views.  

the biggest base of readers i have, with 60,886 views, is the United States!  though i would suppose not a lot of the hits came from pure Americans who don't understand Taglish.  i think it's our kababayans in the States who are following this blog with such enthusiasm.

to all of you who finds DS a cool place to hang out, thank you very much.  shukran in arabic.  salamat in tagalog.  with this kind of support, i'll try to be more active again and come up with something new for your reading pleasure whenever you're around. once again, my hearfelt thanks to all of you DS friends.