We are our own protagonists

Having logged out from my graveyard shift, I napped at the TV room for a few minutes to wait for Joy and Karen. 

We then went to Chowking for breakfast and rode the LRT all the way to Carriedo.  This was not my first trip to this LRT terminal having renewed my NBI clearance there last January.  But, this definitely was my first stop at the 2nd Floor of Emerald Bulding.  

Upon alighting from the train, I could hear the buzz of everyday business dealings which is a norm in that location.  Our DVD shopping spree was conducted at Stall #16 where you can buy hard-cased and DVD copies of movies, Local and International releases, for as low as 3pcs for 100php to 10 movies for a measly 300php.  Not bad for our hard-earned money.

While I was taking my time choosing which movies to buy, I could not help but think of the danger of being caught by the OMB.  Flashing through my mind at that time were screenshots of pirated DVDs being destroyed after their retailers and traders were hauled off to prison.  But the thought of a relaxing 24-hour movie marathon while munching on home-made popcorn and downing cans of beer  was more inviting. My picks included CSI Vegas seasons 1-6, Fast and Furious 4 and other Horror flicks.

Most of those DVDs I brought home to Madrid, Surigao del Sur during my 2-week VL from work, including my porn stash.  Since my brother, Jeffrey, was strongly persuaded by our second cousin- Didi Arreza, he let her borrow all of them without even having a chance to see them.  This is a sad story of PROMDIs who don’t have a place to buy good DVDs, pirated or not.  Although we have VHS, CD and DVD rental stores in Surigao, still nothing compares to having a DVD collection for yourself.  This is a good business opportunity, actually, but huge cash is needed before one can venture into this.  Being in Pasay while conducting a small DVD business  in Madrid is not so practical so, I’ll just have to train myself first in mass CD burning and movie downloads as well as computer, both hardware and software, configuration including internet applications, so that when I have saved enough, I can put up a net cafe as part of my early retirement plan.

Last week, I had the opportunity to go back to Emerald.  Me, Cristina and my older brother Wiwing, rode the LRT from Pasay Rotonda to Carriedo’s Emerald station.

My best find were What Happens in Vegas and Death Craze.

What Happens in Vegas is a comedy/love story about two perfect strangers getting married in Vegas after having a Booze House-Hopping Craze.  Having decided to dump each other the next morning, they won $3M at the casino.  A family court judge freezed their winnings and “condemned” them to being man and wife for 6months.  If they survive that term, they can have the remaining $1.45M split 50-50.  Having good best-friends, they each planned to throw each other out of the game but, falling in love with each other during the process.

 I could still remember when Cameron Diaz said “I spent most of my life pleasing other people.  Yet, when I tried so hard not to please you, I found myself again.”

My face splits in two when the male lead (husband to Demi Moore in real life, guess who?!  hehe), Ashton Kutcher, peed in a sink full of plates and stole the bathroom door just to spite Cameron.

Here is a story of not searching for Mr./Ms. Perfect but of patiently waiting for the one who’s right for us.

Life isn’t about what we want or dream for but what awaits us after we toil and invest our emotions unto other people and ventures.

My point?

It’s not how fast you get there, but how you survived the long and winding road to your destination.

Life is like a movie; like a book.

We are our own protagonists.