Tuesday, November 19, 2002

Eons after I came back from Iloilo and I haven’t posted anything substantial. My friends are starting to complain. And I thought they should be grateful because I stopped clogging their senses with nonsense.

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Whenever is say that I don’t want to be buried in Iloilo, I never said that I don’t like it there.

I love that city. My grandparent’s house is located in the middle of a rice field and a forest. So I’m sure we’re safe from bad human elements like thieves and NPAs. But don’t ask if it’s safe from aswangs (witches) and multos (ghosts).

A stream is just one kilometer away from their house. Very ideal for nature walks. Wild flowers would bloom at the side. And small bubons can be found along the way. Bubons are small holes filled with water on the ground. The water is clean because it comes from the mountain, filtered by the roots of the trees. People actually drink from this water source.

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They also have two small fishponds filled with fat and juicy catfish. Fishes that eventually turn to breakfast. Unfortunately, or maybe, fortunately, I had no luck catching a single black fish.

One dish that I really, absolutely go crazy for is tenolang manok, Ilonggo style. No slippery forty-five days chicken on the menu. They only use a tasty native. Papayas are replaced by kadios or black beans, and ubad. Ubad, ladies and gentlemen, are trunks of banana trees. Yummy…

My mom saw some mushrooms growing at the side of the house. Suddenly, she wanted to play chef. But my lola refused to eat anything that grows at the side of the house. She said that the fertilizers of such plants are pees from their dogs. So my lolo, went to the stream and harvested a basketful of mushrooms. My mom actually cooked a decent (okay, it was delicious) meal from it.

Visiting Iloilo will never be complete without eating an original La Paz Batchoy in La Paz, Iloilo. My tatay took me to Ted’s restaurant when I was very young. Now, going to a branch has become a tradition.

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For the very first time, I spent All Soul’s Day visiting cemeteries. The last out of four burial grounds that I saw touched me. There were several graves marked by a mound of soil and wooden cross. The identity of the dead was written on the wood by a pentel pen. What’s sad about it was that, some people were walking over it without even noticing its significance.

There was also a small grave there that was about half a meter square. It had no cross, wooden or otherwise. But at least, cement was protecting it from disrespectful passers by. It was the grave of three babies who died on the day they were born. Their ages were separated by two years. They bear the same surname. I grieve for their mom.

And while people were praying for the souls of their dearly departed loved ones, I was stopping myself from singing Eraserheads’Poor Man’s Grave. “Oh honey when I die/ Give me a bed of roses where I could lie/ I’m gonna use up all the money that I saved/ ‘Cause I don’t wanna lie on a Poorman’s grave.”

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Despite the hectic schedule that my mom and I had to follow, I managed to squeeze in some time to watch a movie. I thank Henry Sy for his SM branches and its familiar layout. I actually thought I was still in Manila.

Anyways, because of lack of good movies on the run at that time, my cousin and I ended up watching Prosti starring Aubrey Miles. I was prepared to hate it. I thought it was a sleazy movie of some slut who claimed that she was my schoolmate.

I ended up liking the movie. It was erotic, as was implied by its X-rating. And it actually had a good screenplay. I waited for the credits to see who wrote it and it was Eric Matti. I believe that he was the same guy behind Scorpion Nights. Of couse, I could be wrong.

“Kepyas, puro kepyas… Kung ang lahat ng kepyas may presyo, puta, yayaman ang Pilipinas” (Cunt, full of cunt… If all cunts had a price, fuck, the Philippines will be rich). Was the opening and ending line of the movie throughJay Manalo.

It wasn’t the conventional story about whores who had golden hearts. It was a story about Professional Sex Workers. The difference, the girls were literally professionals. They had a life besides lying flat on the ground. They are women who get bored on bed, who actually humps for the sake of getting through with it, of women who actually likes what they’re doing. You’ll respect them because they are women with dreams and chase after it. For them, sex is by the hour earning-job.

Nana Xedes, the chief pimp, the mama san, is indifferent to the situation most of the time. She’s a shrewd businesswoman who treats her workers fairly by her standards. She loves the girls in her own way. She makes sure that they have regular health check-ups, that they continue their education. That they will have something to turn to, if their breasts start to sag.

So how was Aubrey Miles? She’s pretty. The high school student role fits her perfectly. And her acting was actually fantastic if you will judge her actions from the neck down. Her facial expression needs workshop.

Prosti was a pleasant surprise. I second Terry McMillan when she said that good movies nowadays are Rated-Rs.

I hope Harry Potter 2, proves me wrong…

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This will go to my blog history as the longest post ever.

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Tuesday, November 19, 2002

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