"sometimes, being single is much better not because i want to stay away from commitments and be free to flirt or go out with anyone i like, but it is more on accepting the fact that i'm just too tired of believing in and fighting for something that isn't meant to be."

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playing with numbers

Saturday, February 6th, 2010
For almost the past two weeks, the major story being carried by local news organizations is the increased number of people who became HIV-positive, majority of which came from the contact center or BPO industry.  Since then, it has been the talk of the town and on blogs.  I have read some of them that put some new perspectives into the issue.  Having been in the industry since 2001, I couldn’t resist reacting on the said issue.  But before doing so, I did my own analysis on the subject and looked back on my own experiences (which are very, very, and i mean very limited when it comes to, well, office fornication) in the different call centers i’ve worked for.  And one main bottomline of it all is:  it’s a numbers game.  And call centers tend to have the most numbers.
 
First off, sex in the workplace–or rather sex with co-workers–is nothing new.  Eventually, it happens.  Maybe not to everyone, but there will always be a percentage of the workforce in whatever industry who will anonymously admit that they have slept with one or a few co-workers.  But, most of that action will definitely come from the people in the contact center industry.  Statistics show that there are more people ages 23-35 working in contact centers than in the banking and manufacturing sectors.  And of course, people in that age group have relatively raging hormones.  That, plus the rigors of the night shift, stress, and–let’s face it–good looks, will eventually lead to getting it on.  Believe it or not, i’m not that part of that group, which honestly, sucks.  With all the things i’ve witnessed and heard stories of (s)excapades in the four call centers i’ve been in, i’m beginning to question why I haven’t been part of the action.  Or am I hanging out with the wrong crowd?  Moving forward, I’ll either be more receptive or more aggressive… hahahaha!!
 
Secondly, medical check-ups or examinations.  The only reason the Department of Health’s (DOH) report that majority of the new HIV-positive people came from the contact center industry is because there are more employees working there who regularly undergo annual medical check-ups than any other industry.  Because let’s face it:  working night shifts is no joke and these companies take good care of their employees when it comes to their health.  I’m not saying that other industries don’t have medical check-ups, they do.  Pre-employment and… uh… er… I guess whenever they feel like it.  But if these other companies diligently have their own annual (at least) medical examinations, those figures would definitely increase as well.  Medical coverage in contact centers is by far, the best one among other industries.  I mean, where else can one get HMO coverage upon hire?  Sales?  Banking?  You have to wait at least three months (mostly six) before you can get medical coverage.
 
Having spent nearly 10 years in the contact center industry, does the report bother me?  Not one bit.  Neither was I surprised.  In the end, it’s all up to the person and his or her responsibility to protect themselves from contracting the disease.  Is it also a moral issue?  I don’t think so.  I was actually waiting for the Catholic Church to react to that report saying that our moral fiber has deteriorated, hence the increased number of people positive for HIV, but good thing they did not.  And hopefully they won’t.  The last thing we need here is another trumpet-type-preaching by the church on how immorality is ruining our lives.  And i’m saying that with the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary right beside me.  Related to this, that is why I am supporting the Reproductive Health (except for any that leads to planned abortion) bill that is still pending in Congress.  What we need is increased awareness in promoting safe sex.  It is an added alternative to the age-old teaching of abstinence of sex until marriage.  Awareness gives people choices.  This is definitely one number we should increase.
 
As for me, well, that’s why I always have a three-pack ready wherever I go…  except to Sunday mass, of course.  Stay safe!
 
Posted by markie at 4:14 pm | permalink | Add comment

awakenings

Monday, January 25th, 2010
20 years of martial rule, six years of democratic recuperation, another six years of gaining momentum, three years of plunder, and 9 years of unabashed and unchecked mismanagement.  Looking at almost five decades of history, i only ask one question:
 
“As a nation and as a people, what have we become?”
 
Can we really, truly say that we are proud to be called Filipinos?  Back in my college years, when my social consciousness was still in it’s infancy, you’ll hear me brag about being truly Filipino despite my father working in the US and not giving a damn thing about what’s going on around the country.  Yet as I moved on and became a taxpayer in my own right, slowly becoming a spectator in the world of local politics, business, entertainment, lifestyle and society; even with all the negativity surrounding all those aspects, I still stood firm on my stand that no matter what happens, I wouldn’t leave this country in exchange for a better life somewhere else in the world.
 
But during these past couple of years, I started to see the horror that has plagued our nation as a whole.  When and how it started, I or we may never know.  Yet I bet almost all of us will point in one direction as to where it came from:  the government.  That may, in some cases be true, but I think it came from all of us, me included.  And what is this plague i’m talking about?  It’s an unnamed, immeasurable, unquantifyable… “thing” that I believe can only be found here in our country.  Don’t kid yourselves, you’ve all seen it.  You either put it off saying, “it’s in our nature,” or “it has always been like that,” or just don’t give a damn because it doesn’t directly involve you.  And with that mentality, comes the bigger problem.  Is it indifference?  Maybe, but on a much bigger and different scale.  Don’t get me wrong, we Filipinos always put our finger on almost everything.  The problem with most of us is, we don’t give attention to things worth giving attention to, and we give all of our attention to things that we should care less about.
 
Misguided social consciousness you say?  Maybe.  As I mentioned earlier, if it doesn’t affect us personally, then it’s not worth giving any thought about it.  Is that how rudely selfish we have become?  I once saw a segment on a local gag show parodying a current affairs program where a journalist goes around the streets of the metro asking pedestrians at random on what the sign, “No Jaywalking” means.  Expectedly, there were very funny and absurd answers.  But kidding aside, that got me thinking, how in the world do these people not know what the sign means?  On a similar example from personal experience:  in malls, there’s a ceratin section dedicated to pedestrians crossing the street being manned by either security guards or traffic enforcers.  And yet when pedestrians are being told to stay where they are until all cars come to a halt, still there are who could care less and just cross the street at will.  It’s a simple instruction that, for the life of me, I can’t understand why some people still ignore.  It may be a tiny bit in what i’m trying to point out, but believe me, it affects who we are as a person.
 
I could numerate countless and countless examples of “misguided social consciousness” (that’s the term i’m using until I can find a more suitable one), but let me get right to the most current one:  we all know that this is election year, and unfortunately, during the middle part of last year, we started seeing these so-called “infomercials” on TV by persons who would be candidates for national positions trying to identify themselves (or their “advocacies”) to the people.  And this, despite a law in effect that forbids early election campaigning.  C’mon, it doesn’t take a complete retard to know that it is blatant campaigning!  Just because it doesn’t say “vote for..” in the ad doesn’t mean it’s not campaign material!  I for one became sick of these ads that I nearly committed to myself not to vote in the elections.  And what did we do about these ads?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  And yet when some local celebrity makes a scandal, statement or fuss out of a certain group of people, government and law-making bodies and religious organizations go gaga over denouncing it.
 
Again, I beg the question:  “what have we become?”
 
Putting the spotlight again on the elections, more specifically the voting population, the battlecry these days seem to be, “change.”  We all want change, we all clamor for change.  We even have that fat, ugly lady prouncing around like an idiot named “change.”  But are we ready for change?  Are we capable of change?  Change is defined as (correct me if i’m wrong) “the process of becoming or making different.”  Based on that thought, do you percieve that just because a person is a son of a former senator and president makes him qualify for change?  Do you perceive a former businessman making loads and loads of money and spending it on forcing his advocacies down our throats as change?  How about a person convicted (mind you, “convicted”) of plunder, does he constitute change?  Or a person identified with the current administration, does he promote change?  If we want change, we should start with ourselves and how we do things.  Yet it doesn’t mean that when one leader goes astray, we all take the streets and demand an ouster.  What worked once or twice cannot work all the time (hence  there is what is called “rule of law”).  If we rely on campaign jingles as basis of electing our next leader, then that is not change.  If we rely on sympathy as basis for propelling someone to the presidency, then that is not change.  If undecided voters use survey results to go with who is popular to choose who to vote for, that is not change.
 
To put a more serious spin on a superhero line, “with democracy comes the greatest of responsibilities.”  Yes, we do live in a democracy.  Sadly, in general, we’re irresponsible citizens.  I’ll also go out on a limb and also state that Filipinos are politically immature.  With the kind of set up we have now, it puts fact to that statement.  Now, since the answer to my question at the top of this entry is quite the negative one, I now pose a follow-up:
 
“What are we going to do about it?”
 
Posted by markie at 5:16 pm | permalink | Add comment

gathering my thoughts

Friday, January 8th, 2010

I’ve decided to start 2010 with two things:  seriously get back in physical shape and seriously get back in writing shape.  Now that i’ve started the former, it’s time to make good on the latter.  I have to honestly admit, i lost my passion for writing in 2009 (i seriously think “lost” is an understatement).  But don’t get me wrong, I had lots of things on my mind worth writing about during the 12 months of the previous year, but for some weird, unexplainable reason, I didn’t have the drive, the passion, to write it down.  Have I lost my writing skills?  God, I hope not.  This is one of the things I am definitely most proud of and consider it a “talent” (for lack of a better description).  Yet where I did do most of my writing during the past year was either on Facebook or Twitter which had their own fair share of responses and comments.  But looking back, I’d say I could’ve done better by laying out all my feelings and emotions on those statuses on my blog (as i always do), but, I didn’t.  I even said around the same time last year that i’d put more emphasis on blogging… which I failed to do.  But, as they say, the yesterday has gone, tomorrow looms ahead, and today is for making the most out of it… or something like that.  I’ve gone in search of my passion for writing and hopefully i’ll get it back, one post at a time.  This being an important year for us Filipinos, I suppose it’s no better time to start writing more about what’s happening around us, but that’s not to compromise personal stuff as well.

 

Wow, my first post for 2010.  Hopefully it won’t be the last.  It’s time to stop talking and start writing.

 

But, what if writing IS talking…  Go figure.

 

By the way, I can be followed on Twitter:  @markie9.

Posted by markie at 3:46 pm | permalink | Add comment

defibrillated back

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
the room was bathed in sunlight as the clouds moved away.  freshly poured rain engulfs the landscape and the sound of birds slowly came to life.  yet erie silence still was deafening as he lay still, only to be broken by the occasional blips of the monitors that are connected to him, monitoring his every condition.  he has been this way for over four months now with still no signs of improvement.  flowers, balloons, stuffed toys, and get-well gifts and cards from friends wishing for a miracle are scattered around as the nurse enters for her daily routine.  the sound of the opening door awakened her, slumped on his bedside.
 
“any changes during the night?” the nurse asked her as she slowly gathered herself.  “none,” was her waking reply.  the nurse smiled as she proceeded to him to check the instruments and get the usual readings–heart rate, blood pressure, pupil dilation–and other signs.  “i see the rain finally stopped,” she remarked as she noticed the warm sunlight going thorugh the droplet-stained window.  “yeah, it was raining non-stop the whole night,” the nurse replied.  she then observed her as the nurse went about her daily routine when she noticed one of his fingers on his left arm twitch.  although she has seen this before and is considered normal for someone in his condition, she somehow felt that this was different.

“he’s…  he’s…”  she stammered to get her words out to the nurse as she continued to see the twitch become successive in nature.  “i’ve told you before that that is normal,” the nurse replied without even paying attention to the movements.  then suddenly, the monitors started beeping long and loud as his vital stats started to deteriorate.  the nurse, startled by the turn of events, pressed the emergency button near the head board and called on the intercom.

“emergency on room 524, we need a doctor immediately!”  shouted the nurse as she started doing CPR on him.  teary eyed, she fell to her knees as the nurse frantically tried to revive him.  doctors and other nurses stormed into the room a few seconds later and surrounded him.  one of the other nurses checked for a pulse and a doctor asked the first nurse information about what happened.  the room was filled with a series of instructions, monitor noises, and frantic requests for more equipment.  “get the crash cart!” one doctor ordered.  “continue giving CPR,” said another.  “still no pulse,” one nurse reported.  amidst all the chaos, she was still on her knees, crying that this revival attempt may not end well and may be the last.  there have been similar instances before, but during those times, the doctors and nurses were able to bring him back, only to a more deteriorated state.

more medical personnel came rushing through the door with crash cart in tow.  it seemed like an eternity as it was hooked up and ready for a last ditch effort to save his life.  “still no pulse,” the nurse shouted as CPR was still being administered.  “get ready to charge the pads,” the doctor instructed.  the high-pitched sound of charging then filled the room.  “charge to 60,” was the first order.  “charged to 60,” the nurse reported back.  “okay, stand clear!”  the doctor yelled as he took the pads and placed them on his chest.  “clear!”  a shuddering thud was then heard, followed by the long beep of a flat line status.  “still flatline,” the nurse shouted.  “continue CPR and charge to 80,” said the doctor.  frantically, the nurse resumed CPR as the defibrillator was being charged.  “charged to 80.”  “clear!”  another thud was heard and another flat line tone.  “still flatline,” the nurse repeated.  “still no pulse either,” a second nurse said.  “continue CPR and charge to 100,” the doctor reordered.  at this point, the doctor was starting to be convinced that continued revival efforts may be futile.  “charged to 100.”  “clear!”  a third resounding thud followed, but still another flatline tone was heard.  “re-charge to 100.  this is it,” the doctor said as he prepared to get ready to shock him for one last time.  her cries now can be heard in the room amidst the flurry of activity.  “re-charged to 100.”  “clear!”  and a fourth and final thud was heard as the last revival effort came.

there was silence after administering the final attempt, then the familiar long tone of a flat line was heard again.  everyone in the room then became silent as the long tone overcame the air.  even her cries were silenced by the realization that it was all over.  the people around him had their heads bowed.  then suddenly a solitary blip was heard.  followed by another.  and another.  the nurse quickly held his wrist.  “got a pulse!”  she then shouted.  “heart rate and blood pressure stabilizing,” said another.  she slowly rose to her feet, not believing that this was happening.  she was still fixed on his face, as she then moved towards him.  his eyes then began showing signs of movement, which had everyone in the room in a collective gasp.  slowly, his dark brown eyes began to show themselves to everyone after a very long time.  she again cried, this time, with tears of joy as she then lunged at him with a warm embrace.  the long wait was over.  in the midst of celebration, he can only whisper two words to her as she held him tight,

“i’m back.”

Posted by markie at 9:52 pm | permalink | Add comment

return of the comeback

Sunday, August 30th, 2009

the title says it all.  check back on september 1, 2009.

 

 

Posted by markie at 3:15 pm | permalink | Add comment

big step forward

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

i was supposed to write a review about my recently purchased nokia e71 to let everyone know it fared compared to the previous mobile phones i’ve owned, but i guess that’ll have to wait for another day.  i know i promised some people in posting that review but please do bear waiting for a little bit longer.

 

a major change is going to happen here at home.  to be more specific, my mom and my younger sister will be leaving for the US this coming saturday.  yep, it’s my kid sister’s turn to try it out on the other side of the world, career-wise.  though my mom has always been wanting to go back there, this is a big step for my kid sis.  she filed a month-long leave from her work with uncertainty as to whether she’ll come back or not.  though she’ll still go to work up until the end of the month.  both of them have already started packing their things.  as to where they’ll stay, well, they have plenty of options.  we have lots of relatives and friends there, specifically in the west coast area of california so they won’t have any difficulty settling in.  my mom will be doing some baby-sitting duties like she did before, and as for my sister, well, she’s a big girl now, and i wish her nothing but the best.  it’ll be awfully different here now that it’s just me and my brother at home.  but, we’ll manage as always.  it’s just kinda sad that little sis isn’t around when you’re used to spending every day being with her.

 

i just wanted to share that feeling with the world.  it’s kinda sad, but at the same time, i’m very happy for both of them.  it’s hard to believe that we only have one week left to be a solid family.  but, as they say, always look at the brighter side of things.

 

again, my apologies for not posting my e71 review yet.  but to give a generalization, it’s a good phone to use.  more details on the review.  here’s wishing everyone a good week ahead.

 

 

 

Posted by markie at 6:00 pm | permalink | Add comment

greetings

Friday, April 24th, 2009

before the month ends without any posting whatsoever, i would just like to greet my younger brother a

 

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

 

i respectfully regard you as the more good-looking, smarter, wittier, and more successful than me in terms of everything in life.  here’s wishing you more health, success and happiness in everything you do.  i know i don’t get to say this much, but i love you brother.  you’re the reason i’m trying to be better than myself.  have a great, great day!!  :D

Posted by markie at 2:22 pm | permalink | Add comment

flip-flopping, darkness-drunk, and my new baby

Sunday, March 29th, 2009
what does manny pacquiao and “nicole” (a.k.a suzette nicolas) have in common?  well, for one both of them grabbed national attention–albiet one is infamous and the other one infamous (it’s up to you to tag which).  another one is that they’re now known as “flip-floppers” or going one way and then going back.  both of them are in the national (and maybe international) spotlight again with their actions.  first off with “nicole.”  but before i begin, i would like to re-post this link in order for everyone to have a clear understanding about my position in the whole incident labeled, “the subic rape case.”  you may want to read this one first before you may proceed to read about what i think of her now.
 
http://markie.i.ph/blogs/markie/2006/12/07/of-credibility-and-pity/
 
i hate to say i told you so, but “i-told-you-so!!”  the lady (i don’t know if “lady” is the right word to describe her) is an egotistical, selfish, crazy-ass lunatic who took almost everyone in the nation a roller-coaster ride in taking advantage of the philippine justice system!  as i’ve said in my previous entry about this, there was no rape that happened.  it was consensual sex!!  what’s more humiliating is that cause-oriented groups, women’s groups, activists, so-called “nationalistics,” are still defending her!  if you ask me, she should be the one imprisoned for sending an innocent man to jail for more than two years!  she claims that daniel smith, an american, raped her, and yet where does she go after the conviction?  to the united states of america!!  now what the hell does that mean?!  she should be extradited and sent back home to face the music.  if the entry i made after the one above made me feel vindicated, her recent actions just proved that the whole trial was just a waste of time.  consensual sex.  period.  that is meant to be enjoyed, not being used as a stepping stone to national (un)prominence.
 
now, on to manny pacquiao.  here’s the bottomline:  manny is a great boxer.  probably the greatest one the country has ever had.  but he’s not–and i mean NOT–a great person.  he has the audacity to call himself the “victim” in the “media-partner” brouhaha that he himself caused?!  this just shows you what kind of character he has.  but don’t get me wrong, i’m not just looking at this directly at manny pacquiao.  but with all the parties involved.  another one is solar sports and gma-7.  right after manny announced his “big switch” to abs-cbn two weeks ago, both solar sports and gma-7 issued threatening statements at manny’s camp for “breach of contract.”  just because their biggest cash cow decides to jump ship, they immediately threat legal action?  how can they file a case against a manny pacquiao who has brought glory and honor to the country through the sport of boxing?  they’ll be literally pitting themselves against almost the entire filipino people!  so what did they do instead?  the big brass of solar sports and gma-7 made haste and went to the US to privately “strong-arm” manny pacquiao into submission.  something his opponents in the ring could’nt do.  they had a private meeting which manny was presented all the legal hassles he’ll be facing if he decides to stick with his first decision.  and with manny’s character, he then recants his statements and calls abs-cbn the instigators of the switch.  how typical.  now, about abs-cbn.  talk or rumors of them offering manny full political support and coverage in his bid for congress in general santos city abound, but do they really need to do that?  let me make it clear that i’m not pro abs-cbn in this particular issue, but with careful analysis of the entire situation, it was them that showed the most class in handling the situation.  they didn’t threat any legal action against manny for going back to solar and gma, but they just wished him well in his endeavors.  a stark opposite of what solar and gma showed.  if i were them, i would’ve just let manny go.  money isn’t everything.  gma-7 has always been good in marketing themselves and is a consistent television programs topnotcher.  solar sports has a dominance in cable and free-tv sports coverages.  i’m sure they would’ve found ways to recoup their losses if manny stuck with his original decision.  now that he is back with them, you can see the smiles in the top brass as if a large pile of money is in front of them.  as with manny, well, he’ll still have my support.  in the boxing ring only.  when he comes back home, he’ll never be a person with class.  and didn’t i say that i abhor the “network war” we have here?
 
on to more cheerful news. earth hour last night was a blast.  all of us cousins were outside the house for more than two hours enjoying each other’s company in darkness.  and what did we have?  brandy and beer of course!!  drinking to earth hour even though not everyone on our street participated.  at least a few neighbors who did dropped by and had a little chit chat.  got myself tipsy and fell fast asleep after calling it a night.  i believe earth hour should happen at least twice a year.  we were talking about pushing it to have it once a month, but we then thought that might not sit well with business people.  so i guess twice a year would do.  help save mother earth, people.  it’s the only one we’ve got.
 
and lastly, i finally decided to retire my nokia N90.  though i was salivating for the htc tytn II, nokia upped the ante and introduced the E71.  and i immediately fell in love with it!  what’s more, it’s priced cheaper than when i got the N90.  with the ongoing installment madness happening, i decided to take advantage of it and bought my new baby this past friday night.  the color is black steel and it’s very, very beautiful!!  with a full qwerty keyboard, wi-fi capable, nokia maps, large 2GB micro-sd card, email ready, and a power plant-like battery among others, this was a good purchase.  the laptop will have to take a backseat.  i’m still getting myself accustomed to it, but so far, i have no difficulty using it.  now i’m not in the habit of naming my gadgets, but with this one, i think i’ll make an exception.  though i still have no idea what to name her.  some names that do stand out are veronica, lindsey, athena, and natalie.  got any good one in mind?  let me know.  female names only please.
 
anyways, there’s my rant and rave for the week.  summer is really here!  hope everyone enjoys the week ahead!  :D
 
 
 
Posted by markie at 6:49 pm | permalink | Add comment

emotional rush

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
the past 11 days have been somewhat…  weird.  two wednesdays ago, i was able to attend my cousin’s wedding.  i was granted the day off by my new british boss, thankfully, and i still played my part as a veil sponsor.  it was a very, very happy and wonderful day to be with relatives.  not really a reunion of sorts, but it was quite surreal to see a younger cousin walk down the aisle and taking the vows.  during the reception, the groom’s sister who is the same age as mine caught the bouquet and we’re all teasing her that she’s next. i didn’t catch the garter, but it was all good, for i don’t believe in that sort of stuff.  for pictures, you can view them on my facebook account.  i’m very happy for the new couple and i wish them the best.
 
then three days later, i received news that the younger brother of a friend of mine was shot dead the previous night.  i didn’t receive the news exactly from her, but from a common friend.  though that friend of mine and i weren’t really that close, we still maintained constant communication through text messaging and occasional meet ups.  i was completely caught by surprise and found myself stunned still while i was reading the message.  i had originally planned to go to the wake sunday, but my brother had the car that day, so i went there monday after work.  upon reaching the funeral home, the mood was quite upbeat for a very somber moment.  i gave my friend a hug and offered my condolences.  i learned from her that a whole magazine of a 9mm handgun was emptied on her brother’s body in an apparent robbery which occurred outside their subdivision.  i felt so sad that such a gruesome act can be committed all for just money.  i tried to lift her spirits up as best as i can during that one hour i spent there with her.  the interment ceremony was held earlier today.  though i wasn’t able to attend, i still sent her a message telling her to stay strong.
 
’twas the first time in as long as i can remember that i had a sudden change of emotions in a couple of days.  i was still riding high on the wedding when i got the news on my friend’s brother.  it was as if you were spinning and you suddenly stop.  not that dizzying feeling, but the confusion of reorienting yourself with what just happened.  it’s hard to put into words the exact thing or feeling, but i didn’t know that it’ll be this weird.  it’s been what, a week now since i went to the wake, but i’m still experiencing the sad feeling whenever i think of what happened to him, yet everytime i see my cousin (who lives next door), i can’t help but smile and continue to be happy for them.  forging a new life ahead versus losing a loved one’s life.  how can it get more confusing than that?
 
but that’s life.  you win some, you lose some.  in a perfect world, things would be very different.  but that’s the reality of it.  you’ll never know a curve ball is going to hit you when all you think that’s coming is a fast ball.
 
that’s my rant.  and speaking of emotions, i’m going through some undecided-ness on what to get for myself.  there’s an on-going installment madness in glorietta that runs until april 5 and i’m thinking of getting myself either a laptop or a mobile phone.  thing is, i’ve got my nokia n90 for three years now, and with the signs of wear and tear both physically and performance-wise it’s having, i’m thinking that it’s time to retire it.  on the other hand, getting a laptop has been one of my targets since december.  it’ll have a huge advantage on my part, especially with the work i now have.  good thing that a third item on my wish-list has been scrapped (for now).  it was supposed to be a second hand canon 350d professional digital camera that was being sold to me by the boyfriend of one of my cousins for 17k.  but i just learned that he had already gotten a buyer for it.  i guess my new found hobby of photography will have to be put on hold.
 
anyways, i still have a couple of days to decide.  thanks to all those who have been giving me advice and support.  though your inputs are all valid and make sense, they all weigh in equally which makes decision making still quite difficult.  but for sure i’ll be finally making one in the next couple of days.
 
hope everyone has a good week ahead!!  :)
Posted by markie at 9:38 pm | permalink | Add comment

unusual heroes

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

 

despite the news of the sudden demise of francis magalona this past friday, i was able to see the movie “watchmen” after i got off work. i reserved my ticket online two days before, but had second thoughts on the day itself about seeing the movie, since i knew nothing of the comic book franchise and worried that i might get lost in the movie’s plot and storyline. but i thought that this might be a chance for me to be acquainted with the group, plus if director zach snyder did a very impressive job on “300,” then this might be worth seeing as well.

in a nutshell, it’s not your typical superhero movie of heroes versus villains. surprisingly, it’s a “generational” movie about superheroes of the 1940s and 50s, with some their children carrying on their parents’ legacy (except for doctor manhattan who stopped aging) and adopting their namesakes and continue what they started.  it’s also set in an alternate timeline of 80s america, where the term limits of the president was lifted, therefore having richard nixon still the incumbent president.  the story starts with one of the original members being murdered and the crusade of another devoted member finding out whodunnit while trying to solicit the help of the others in the team.

the plot unfolds amidst the twists and turns of each member’s relationship with their fallen comrade, and how they continue to live their lives in the present setting where society has forgotten them and they themselves trying to have a life outside of their more popular alter egos.  the movie takes you on a roller coaster ride of flashbacks and sub-plots, of emotions and principles.  i would believe that the person who watches this movie who doesn’t check his or her brain at the theater doors won’t be able to understand or keep up with the continuous bombardment of narrative dialogue while trying to find out for themselves who the murderer is.

what i liked about the movie is the constant presence of conflict.  be it among the superheroes themselves, within each one, with society, and with their desinty.  there was one line that really stood out which was mentioned by the mother of silk spectre II.  i don’t remember the exact words, but it goes something like, “the future gets dimmer and more bleak, while the past, even with the most gruesome of events, keeps getting brighter and brighter.”  i really don’t know why that line stuck, but i guess it has something to do with where we peak in our lives, be it professionally, personally, or whatever.  once we reach that, everything is downhill moving forward.  for silk spectre II’s mother, she had the height of her powers, abilities and fame and is headed towards insignificance.  i suppose all old people are like that, but you’re left to wonder if other superheroes share the same sentiment as her’s.

the movie was a good watch for me.  it was worth paying an additional 45 pesos to my usual carpark rate (i initially thought of moving to another carpark near the theater but decided against it eventually), and having dinner by myself (again).  the theater was sold out for a 7:45pm screening which is a good sign that the movie will earn big at the box office.  i would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to be entertained in a different way by a superhero movie.  it’s definitely the start of another big and highly anticipated summer movie season.  up next, nicholas cage’s “knowing.”

 

 

 

Posted by markie at 10:11 pm | permalink | Add comment
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