Christmas in Sickness and in Health

Do you still remember the time when you and the woman you so love held hands in front of the church altar and bravely, if not absentmindedly, uttered “…in sickness and in health…for better or for worse ‘til death do us part”? For us, it’s now close to 15 years and these words never have been really fully tested.

While our bodies have aged, with some wrinkles and loose flabs here and there, my wife and I have retained the feelings that have kept us together since our eyes met—‘twas the time when we were so young and carefree. These feelings continued until we finally marched down the carpeted aisle, looking forward to start a new life as husband and wife. And quite frankly, back then the “for worse…and in sickness…” part of our vows seems to be something that will never become a reality.

But perhaps as fate would have it, the days have come when we put our money where our mouth is. Today, when supposedly we worry only about how to spend the Christmas holiday, wifey undergoes a major surgical operation. And today, that chance to give Marcus a sibling stops.  Nevertheless, we will move on. I now just hope her operation will be successful so that we all stay together longer—the two of us with Marcus.

Oh, wait, wait, wait. I just remembered we also pledged “…for richer or for poorer…”  Ti abi.

***

Comic strip above was inspired by a recent exchange with wifey when I gave her a 3-piece Ferrero Rocher. Yes, the humor is still there.

Get well soon wifey. We love you.

***

Mood: 5/10 Honks! (Friday the 13th. And we are in a hospital.)

What is Intel Culture?

My tweet got favorited and it deserves a spot on this blog:

“Jobs at Intel favorited your Tweet
23 Nov:

[CrisIs73] Where only the paranoid survive? “@JobsatIntel: “What do you think Intel’s organizational culture is like? #intelculture“
***
Not an ordinary Sunday: Someone dropping by later to buy my 3-year old treadmill, Pacman vs. Rios fight, and wifey’s about to be discharged from the hospital. Something in me wishes that she gets out after the boxing match–the room’s got cable TV.

Crushes, Crushed

I am among those people who are often fascinated by the innocence of children. Their perspective in life is so simple that often it brings that smile on us adults, a smile that comes when we least expect it. Marcus is no exception.  At age 5, his views seem to just revolve around his favorite apps and toys. Like whenever I drive, he expects our speedometer to breach 200 KPH just like Lightning McQueen; He believes that his Ninjago stance will protect him from other annoying kids; He thinks that his full name is MarcusBen10—the very reason I have to keep his Ben 10 toys away from him indefinitely; And when wifey revealed to him that one of his classmates has a crush on him, he innocently asked, “Mommy, Candy Crush?”

He is someone’s eye candy but for now this is all he can relate to. (Image from the web.)

I believe though that while he doesn’t know yet what a crush is all about, he might have felt it already. Last year, while on vacation, of all DVDs he has, he brought along with us Ghost Rider. That night in Bacolod, I noticed him staring at the DVD case and to my surprise, before shutting his eyes I saw him kiss goodnight Eva Mendes’ picture. Could she be his first crush? Good choice.

Ghost Rider with Eva Mendes (Image from the web)

There are serious times, however. When a recent magnitude 7 earthquake struck Bohol, he witnessed on the news the crushed buildings and people displaced out of their homes. Thus, other than his regular nightly prayers, he prayed before going to bed, “Papa Jesus, give [them] food, house…and no [more] earthquake again pwease.”

It also appears that he now has idea of the impact of other disasters. As super typhoon Yolanda threatens the country he kept telling us his worries. “Daddy, mommy, paano na akin toys?  How na house, daddy’s car…wala na car…can’t go to school,” were his repeated concerns.

But there were some funny moments when he saw us packing three days worth of clothing. “Mommy, saan punta?” he asked. “This is just in case we need to go seek shelter somewhere,” wifey answered. “Punta hotel?” was his excited reply, his fondness of staying in hotels becoming obvious. Sigh, if only everyone can be evacuated inside a comfy hotel.

***

This month is Marcus’ 5th year and there is no other cake he wants but this:

Marcus’ Ninjago-theme cake.

***

Mood: 10/10 Honks! (Remembering #YolandaPH victims. We wish that you all recover.)

24: The Longest DVD Marathon of Our Life

“I’m federal agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life.” – Jack Bauer

 

Grabbed from wifey’s instagram.

“Why would I buy a TV series DVD?” was a question once asked myself several times in the past as I tag along with wifey while she checks DVDs on sale in video shops at the mall. I believe then that it is a total waste of money to buy DVDs of series such as Friends, Sex in the City, and even those of Discovery Channel. To me, if there is one thing that makes people buy their own copy of TV series it is just the irrational urge to possess a compilation of shiny CDs that will eventually gather dust in one corner of a CD shelf. A package, however, from abroad changed my perspective.

Among the items stuffed inside the balikabayan box that we received last month are seasons 1-4 of 24 which is a TV series that I was fully aware exists on cable TV but I dismissed it as outright boring—plus the fact that a local channel dubbed it in Filipino made it even less appealing. Yet then again, having recently unsubscribed from our city’s cable company, we were left with no other option other than to load the 1st CD of the series for entertainment’s sake. I waited, anticipated a yawn but it was a yawn that never came. And that was the day when wifey and I started the longest DVD marathon in our entire life.

The crescendo of the digital beep that signals the start each episode became a regular sound inside our room. Jack Bauer commandeered our free time, his 24-hour adventure has kept us glued to the CRT screen. A hero and rogue field agent all at the same time who has the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) and its technology at his disposal, Jack Bauer made the 24 hours of his day something that would shame almost any person’s 1-year worth of life’s adventure.

Wifey and I became instant fans that we really didn’t care if there are flaws in 24. I rolled my eyes during Jack’s cheesy moments whenever he shows uber concern on his daughter, Kim, as he is merciless and is unhesitant to pull the trigger on anyone—friend or foe—who stands in the way in his quest to save the day. We kept mum over Chloe’s unrealistic ease of access to any network she chooses to hack just so she can assist Jack find his way in a heavily-guarded building or sneak his way out of a crowded street to trail unsuspecting terrorists.There were also several instances in every season of 24 when we repeatedly ignored characters starting a stolen car just by pulling wires from under the steering wheel and successfully connecting it, even under pressure, as if there are just two wires specially  marked “yank and splice in case of emergency.”  Call us gullible but yes, even after the first season, we have built a relationship with this Fox series like marriage—for better or for worst.

We already finished watching all 4 seasons but our craving continues. In fact, it is why wifey consequently went online and have gotten hold of used region 2 DVDs from sulit.com—original ones, FYI. In between school duties and playtime with Marcus, we happen to insert watching seasons 5-6. We are now at season 7 and we badly need to find season 8. We’ve also heard that 24 The Movie is in the works. If this is true, we will be there and we won’t mind if it will be the longest movie of our life.

***

Mood: 3/10 Honks! (Anxious to get this day over with.)

Fixie Finally

After several years of being bike-less and then months of planning to get one for the sake of showing Marcus how to bike, I got my first fixie yesterday which I got from sulit.com.ph.

Once again, an adult bike hangs and this time it’s a fixie.

***

Mood: 5/10 Honks! (Rain will last until at least Wednesday. Can’t wait to go biking with Marcus.)

 

OTJ: Everyone’s Dark Thoughts in a Filipino Film

There have been times when I feel the urge to write something about the criminals in the news. While I neither condone nor even sympathize with fallen menaces of the society, I always have these thoughts that there is an interesting story behind each crime. However dark it may sound but that thought lingers as I sit on our comfy sofa while the TV shows activity inside the yellow ‘Police Do Not Cross’ line.

What sets the precedence behind a hit? What are the motives? Who are these people caught in a blur by CCTV cameras? How do they live their lives? Or do they have one?  Are they really as calloused as the media portrays them to be? I have so many questions, everything left unanswered, every bit an element of a good story waiting to be told. But as I strain myself to compose and gather the loose ends, someone has beaten me into it. And I willingly concede, it’s no contest.

Eric Matti had it on film. His latest movie On The Job or simply shortened as OTJ was spot on. It has the plot that I wish in a thousand years I would be able to form myself.  Its raw settings and the powerful cast—who played various roles from a lowly jail guard, struggling police officers, gun for hires and intel authorities under a system of deceit and corrupt politics—justified the release of an action film that finally gives everyone a break from the boring Filipino love stories and lousy comedy movies.

The film’s sound reproduction could have been better though. It would have been more striking if the gunshots were as loud and if the other effects sounded clearer. But other than this I have nothing more against it. Eric Matti got my respect. Wifey and I had a great movie date.

OTJ is said to be based on actual events and I bet that nobody who tunes in daily to the news will ever doubt it. The movie fills in the missing pieces of what we already know. OTJ has everyone’s dark thoughts (and paranoia) coming from watching the evening news combined into one great Filipino film. It shows us that in the midst of It’s More Fun In The Philippines campaign and the continuing economic development is an underground world that we all wish does not exist. We can all be in denial and dismiss everything as fiction but until such time corruption in the government prevails and crime rate stays steady, the fact remains that there are protégés out there learning on the job. And no one knows when, where, and who they will hit soon.

***

Mood: 2/10 Honks! (I smell leftover kare-kare.)