Excited

Can't wait for the following to be shown:

  I've been seeing the movie trailers in cinemas.  I'm rooting for the mummy.  Go Jet Li!

  I've been seeing the props in the cinemas, including a big wall with Heath Ledger's face on it.  Really cool.  I expect this movie to be very bad-ass.

ABS-CBN's Dyosa.  3 reasons rolled into 1.  3 goddess transformations of 1 Anne Curtis!!!!!

photos from www.imdb.com

House Plans Update:And So The Headache Begins....

To my mind, I am part of the minority of the Philippine middle-income families who do not have a Overseas Filipino Worker family member and yet can still afford to live a little bit more comfortable than those families who have to fall in line at the NFA-designated stores to buy 2 kilograms of milled rice.  That fact in itself, makes my family well-off.

Still, despite having that stability in income, I feel that my efforts to build a new house is being thwarted....by fate.  I have just come from filing the HMDF housing loan application that took n months to complete the requirements (with this I mean the oodles of documents listed in the application).  I still haven't got it received by the loan clerk.  WHY? Because there are still some documents not mentioned in the list that I need: I need to present my own birth certificate, to prove that I am my mother's son.  I need to cancel an annotation on my mother's land title.  And the most troublesome requirement of all (I think) --- I have to convert our lot's classification from agricultural to residential.&nsbp Come to think of it, it's a load of bull, that the area we live in is still classified as "agricultural domains" when almost 90% of the land area is now covered in houses.  But this is the Philippines.  The forsaken nation.  And so I have to put up with the crap if I want to build that simple one-storey, two-bedroom house that's even smaller than the comfort room of some congressmen's homes.

Sometimes I think it would be a lot easier if I just bought one of those condominiums.  But as my friends who live in condominiums realize later, it's not one for someone who wants to build a family.  Sigh.  Oh well.  Here's hoping I get everything arranged ASAP.

A Sense of Family:My Father's Day Post For Nanay

One of the reasons I went on leave last May was to attend the 80th birthday of my Nanay Aida.  She is my nanay-nanayan.  I was born in their home, when my mother was still working for them as part of the household help.  She and my Tatay Ben treated my mother as a family member so when my mother gave birth to me, I was considered the bunso (youngest) in my nanay’s family.

The birthday party was held in a posh restaurant in Pasig  It was organized by Nanay’s daughters and funded by his two of her sons: one living in the U.S.A, one serving as a manager in U.A.E..  In attendance were Nanay’s siblings, children, grandchildren, cousins, and friends.  Everyone who attended has the same remark to make—my Nanay Aida does not look the least bit like 80 years old.  Indeed, I’ve seen 80-year old women and they do not look that young, relatively.  There was dance number done by her young grandchildren, “young” being below 10 years old (pre-teens are too conscious to care to dance for show nowadays).  One of the highlights of the evening was a slideshow presentation of Nanay’s life, in the form of pictures.  Some of these images I’ve already seen before— from the old photo albums I’ve seen over and over again when I was little, sitting in Nanay’s living room.

Then the picture taking was done.  In groups.  When it was time to take a picture of the extended family (i.e., Nanay’s children, son-in-laws, daughter-in-laws), she called me and my mother to join them.  At first I shook my head, but you really can’t say no to the birthday celebrant.  So there we were – me and my mother – in the family picture.  And at that point, I did realize that we have always been part of Nanay’s family, no matter how much I try to delineate myself and my mother for the stupid reason that we’re not blood-related.  I am grateful.  Because of Nanay and Tatay, I maybe an only child but I have 3 ate’s (older sisters) and 4 kuya’s (older brothers).  Because of them, I have two sets of cousins and aunts and uncles.  Because of them, I grew up with a father figure, albeit only for a short period of time.  Because of them, I have two mothers.  It’s a weird set-up, I know, but this is it for me.  Family.

Coolest movie of the year so far

Oh oh Ohhhhhhhh! I want to watch it again and again and again!

House Plans Moving Along . . . . Slowly

A contractor is currently helping us with the paperwork needed to get that home development fund loan for the house construction I’ve been planning.  Thus far, we already have the blue prints, the building estimates (more than 1 million without the additional appliances I’ve been eyeing), and an application for a building permit.  And it is now officially the rainy season in the Philippines.  By the time the loan proceeds get deposited to my account, the weather would probably be unpredictable, leading to a few difficulties in planning construction.  So much for finishing the house before my birthday.  Well, there’s always the dream of having a new house before the year ends.