Loving Coffee Prince

The past weeks/months or so that I was on hiatus was spent resting, eating, recovering from stress and the various seasonal diseases that hit me, and basically vegetating. I bought dvd copy of the hit Korean series Coffee Prince, simply because the blurb was interesting. I didn’t know anything about it prior to buying it so I didn’t have expectations. Imagine my surprise when, minutes into the first episode I found myself getting so hooked I ate my meals in front of the TV. 

I am a fan of Korean films but not of the TV series. I had this impression they’re either OA or too melodramatic. I have seen dvd’s of series but never finished any, because I either got bored or bummed out with the dragging story or the nosebleed inducing subtitles. But the copy I got had subtitles made by fans of the series so they’re quite good and not a single neuron complained. 

And Coffee Prince is the only series that got me hooked, and had me staring only at the TV screen till the end. It’s just awesome. Why? How? Here’s just some of the things I love about it:

  

1. Eun Hye, who did a great job as the androgynous Eun Chan, who worked several jobs a day to suport her family. She was both hilarious and endearing and in my opinion, this is Eun Hye at her best since she started her acting career. 

2. Gong Yoo who did a fantastic job as the grouchy rich playboy vagabond an Kyul who mistook Eun Chan for a man and eventually hires him to pose as his gay lover to ward off women who are all out to get him to commit. 

3. The story, which maybe a bit strange but thoroughly interesting. And hilarious.  

4. The script – the dialogues are just superb. There are lots of memorable lines and quotable quotes especially from Han Kyul. 

5. The set – from the café to Han Kyul’s top floor crib.  

6. Han Kyul’s car, a black Mini Cooper. I’m never a fan of convertibles but this one is just a cutie  

7. The interesting characters surrounding EC and HK – from their respective families to the café crew. 

8. The part when EC was posing as HK’s boyfriend was just funny!  

9. Eun Chan’s voracious appetite, and table manners. 

10. Han Kyul’s temper, it’s like he’s having PMS whenever EC is around. 

 

11. EC and HK’s constant bickering. Their exchanges are just hilarious. 

12. Scenes where sparks are beginning to fly and HK is struggling with his “homosexuality”. His reactions are just funny! 

13. The kissing scenes. Gong Yoo is a hot kisser.  

14. The chemistry between Eun Hye and Gong Yoo. The tension is so thick you could slice through it. 

15. The music. The music is that good this series made me an sinatnt fan of Eun Hye and Korean pop. 

 

I have seen the series twice on dvd and even caught the dubbed (Filipino) version being aired on GMA-7. Thank god the translations and dubbing was good. But of course they had to edit out scenes. So thank God I have my copy. 

This is one pirated dvd purchase I never regretted. I think I will get another copy just in case the one I have now gets worn out.

a political disenchantment

I voted for Trillanes with this hope that he will be among those new breed of public servants who will really bring about change, sans the pa-pogi, sans the rhetoric in the vernacular which doesn’t make sense anyway, sans the press release, but just pure work. Action that could rival that of whatever he had as a soldier, all it takes to rebuild and reform this nation. 

But months after he was sworn into office I am already regretting my decision. I have come to finally realize, and accept, with much deliberation on my part, that I have wasted my precious vote. I think I have elected not just a convicted mutineer, but a mental institution fugitive, as a senator. Holy macaroni! 

At first I ignored it. It could have been the lack of sleep, the exhaustion and stress of being a jailed senator that causes him to look haggard and worn out each time he faces the camera. Not that I expect public officials to look like they just stepped out of the spa each time, but to look like a coke (and I’m not talking about the soda) addict every freaking time? Come on. It might not have to come first but as someone entrusted by the public to look after their welfare, public officials should at least embody strength and that aura of being in control. That proverbial grace under pressure.  

It is frightening to realize that somebody you entrusted the nations’ future to, might be a crazed lunatic.  

It could just be me; I might be the one’s who’s crazy. But I have asked around – experts in the field of psychology and psychiatry, and being a psych major myself, that he does look disturbed. His words even manifest restlessness. Friends who work in the senate have told me how he’s slowly catching the ire of most senators because of his declarations. Apparently, he wanted to be in the Senate not to be of service to the nation, but to impeach the president. Sure, getting GMA out of office can do us a great favor, but that as your sole motivation? Fuck. 

It’s just absurd. And seeing him, his eyes that can’t seem to be still, frighteningly piercing, can send kids to huge therapy bills. If I was 5 and I see those eyes of his on TV, I’d most likely have nightmares for a week.  

And his words, they’re not born out of the passion to save us from further Gloria hell, but from intense anger, which isn’t just right. Because it is already controlling him, and making him look crazier than he already is, maybe even before Oakwood. Anyway, endangering the lives of people to make a statement isn’t exactly am infestation of sane normality. Ah, I shall never see the idealism in anyone who becomes too desperate to get a message across by threatening to kill or destroy. 

Too bad I was blinded by that one Oakwood instance, that it even prompted me to help one of them get to the Senate. How I regret it now, and wish I could appeal to any court of law that I would like to take back my vote, please.  

This is not to malign his reputation, but maybe to express my deep condolences, addressed to myself, for the sudden, senseless death of trust and confidence, on someone who is simply not worthy. 

I know for a fact that psychosis can be cured though. Please somebody tell him to seek psychiatric help. 

* * * * * * * * * * 

On a lighter note, god, what have become of our supposed discernment and wisdom> why do we still have these clowns occupying public offices? Some are too hungry for publicity they’d react violently to Desperate Housewives fiasco. One made an ass of himself by stupidly (and definitely so not eloquently, as in far from being remotely smart even) by making this statement regarding his mom being the subject of a satire. A satire! Geez, can’t he look that up in the dictionary? 

So, these publicity hungry public officers and having themselves interviewed left and right to say their peace, it doesn’t matter if they make sense (which they rarely does) or not – they’d spew all these irrelevant statements, over the top bordering on OA declarations, supposedly mild mannered speeches in the vernacular which are just pure rhetoric and no substance, just to see their faces on TV. For exposure, just that. Because guess what, they’re not doing anything but waiting all day to be presented with an opportunity to ham it up for the cameras. 

Whoever said that we have a 24-hour comedy show for a government is definitely on the right track. And you say politics is not for showbiz people? Rooiigggghttt.  

Another Case of Ignorance, and Lack of Responsibility

Racism is alive and prevalent even in this day and age, when almost every country is littered with immigrants and foreign workers. With this kind of exposure to different races one would think that people would be more aware, smart and respectful enough not to do or say anything that will be deemed discriminatory. Still, it is sad to realize that people are still insensitive and irresponsible, that they would allow racist remarks to surface and reach the public, therefore maligning the reputation of a certain ethnic group and even an entire nation, with something that is unfounded.  The following video is a clip from the September 30 episode of Desperate Housewives, watch and listen:  

  

If you, as a Filipino got offended by that racist slur, then go to the following link and sign the petition. It will only think a few minutes. 

http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/petition.html 

But if you’re Filipino and you choose to just shrug it off… shame on you buddy.

Itsie-BITSie teeny weenie thing called…

I am not as cold, cruel, heartless and bitchy as I seem to project myself to be. Really, I do have a side of me that knows the words, longing, yearning and tenderness; I can be giddy, mushy, sappy if there is a reason for me to; I am a sucker for kilig love stories and even consider myself to be a matchmaker of sorts. Yes, this is me outing myself from being a closet romantic. I do believe in that crazy giddy little thing called love (and yes I do love that Queen song)… you wonder so what? What the hell am I driving at, talking about this side of me somehow really does exist? It’s to let you all know, those who enjoys a dose of romance every now and then, that BITS (Butterflies In The Stomach) the awww-ey-est (yes I just made up a word) blogging group in cyberspace, is back with old and new faces, changed lives, and more kilig stories to shamelessly share with you all. This is us talking amongst ourselves about our respective BITS moments (or lack of it, but continuously hoping) and yes, you are free to “eavesdrop” and drop a comment, even join the fun, if you want to. Check check check it out: 

http://bits.fragiled.net

Some Things Are Worth Going back To

It is the decade where I began to really develop my musical tastes, aside from what was already my definition of good music influenced by my parents’ collection of records and tapes. So I grew up listening to The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Sting and The Police, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Led Zep and am already into U2, The Cure, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and was getting to know this cool thing called grunge rock. Locally, I love The Dawn and couldn’t stop listening to 70s disco courtesy of VST and Co. I am obviously not much of a pop kid… well, I did like some songs from Smokey Mountain. And does Lea Salonga’s Miss Saigon songs count?  This was the time when began to be so into music videos. There wasn’t much in the local scene…in fact there wasn’t any. If anything close to it came out, it was very bland and didn’t complement the songs. Then came this young woman named Viktoria who redefined what was considered pop and introduced what was then so inappropriately called MTV’s. It’s music video people!  

I was never into pop. And at 12, I really didn’t care much about love songs. But “Dahan-dahan” which I first heard from a childhood friend Ate Belle, became an instant favorite. Must be the sentiments of the song (as explained to me by that friend) and the sound that impressed discriminating 12 year old me. And then I saw the music video that accompanied it. And it really was something I have never seen before. It was almost like a short film, and everything about it was classy and polished. The music video was something evidently well thought of.

   After that came the start of the local rock band fever. But Viktoria’s brand of alternative pop was undeterred. So did her music videos that accompanied each single which just got better each time. I like that her songs were mostly about love and the scenes in the videos were sweet, but never cloying.  

Recently, after what felt like ages of waiting, one of her brothers who directed those videos posted them on YouTube. I haven’t seen those in a long time and now, seeing them brought back lots of wonderful memories. I suddenly miss my friends, our after school soccer or baseball matches, climbing aratiles trees, blowing bubbles… those were the good old days, when life wasn’t so complicated.

And the local music scene was still full of real talents who knows what real, good music is all about. Seeing her first videos again, and even though they’re more than a decade old, makes one realize how a lot of the stuff we have now… sucks. They were from the 90s, and yet placed alongside most of the carbon copy pa-cute crap we have now, they all still pale in comparison.  The 90s, and these kinds of good quality music videos, are indeed some of the stuff worth going back to.

I Just “Shot” Someone

Last night while walking home from the palengke, my neighbor Bing, who was wearing rubber flip flops, seared her the skin of her sole with a dirty tack. She is an OR nurse, who is naturally, very familiar with what even the smallest cut or wound can possibly do to anybody, so she was very paranoid about getting lockjaw due to tetanus, or something like that. Usually i would just accompany her to the wet market, help out with preparing our dinner (because i have the lowest self esteem when it comes to cooking). Last night we were supposed to have curried mixed seafood (that’s shrimp, squid, mussels plus carrots and potatoes) but because she was so worried about being infected, she immediately conferred with her colleagues on the phone and deliberated what they should do. She left all the ingredients at the table, at my mercy, staring at it not knowing what to do. Well, i do know what to do but i am afraid it will not turn out right. So, just to help, i cleaned the squid, mussels and shrimp. Sliced the squid and shelled the shrimp while i boil the mussels. Then cut the veggies and prepared the spices.

After boiling the mussels i took them out of their shell and put them along side the sliced quid and shelled shrimp. I waited for my friend who is running to and from her bedroom to the living room, while on the phone. The rice is already cooked and i am getting hungrier by the minute. LOL When she finally noticed that everything was already prepared and i am looking at them uncertainly, she apologized and hugged me, and explained what was going on.

She needed to get a temporary shot of tetanus toxoid, a live virus thingy that will be injected on her fore arm. She will get said substance from the nearby Mercury drug. But before that, we should cook first. And cooked we, or she did. I was silently saying prayers of thanks to the angels. Whew!

But after dinner and after getting the substance (which came with an ice cube), syringes and needles came the shocker. I should give her the shot. She can do it but she would be on a most comfortable position and she might hit the wrong nerve. I was mortified. I rarely look at the part of my body that receives the shot – i always look the other way. I can tolerate the pain but i cant look at it. And now she’s asking me to give her the shot – as in be the one to inject the somewhat thick substance, which i know will hurt a lot!

I told her, while vigorously shaking my head that i so cannot do it. “then who will?” she asked me. I said I’ll ask my house mates. I went to my place next door but nobody wants to do it. Bing was egging me come on. “you can do it. I will guide you through it” i keep shaking my head, my eyes widening in horror. She sat down and showed me that i just have to hold up her forearm a certain way, then the syringe this way, then hit this particular spot and just do it.

“Ayoko talaga!” i protested. She insisted i can. I said i won’t be able to see it cos i have poor eyesight. She pointed out that I’m still wearing my contacts. I shook my head.

She went to get a glass of water. Then made me drink it. Then brought me to the sink and washed my hands. “you’re not even shaking, you’re fine. You can do it!” she said. Aaarrgh i am beginning to panic. I guess she saw the panic in my eyes so she told me to take deep breathes. “this is funny, i am the one who’s about to get the shot. You wimp.” i just pursed my lips.

Then she told me about how we sort of rescued/helped this couple in a motorcycle who had a minor accident last week. We were walking from the LRT station to the neighborhood where we’re both renting apartments. Then we saw this motorbike swerve perilously to one side and eventually collapsed, cos they were trying to stick to the designated lane when this stupid car whizzed by on a really nasty overtake. The couple, probably both in their early 30s, looked to have broken something, despite them wearing helmets. They’re both lying on the ground and struggling to get up, as their legs were under their bike. She immediate rushed to the couple and told them to stay still. Thankfully they’re both responding to her. She asked me to attend to the woman, as she will instruct me what to check. Well, i do remember my girl scout first aid. LOL. Once we checked for vital signs and made sure there wasn’t any sign of trauma, we helped them get up to a sitting position. Then we pulled their bike up from their leg. And then helped them stand up. We asked them if they want to be taken to the hospital, we can hail a cab. They both couldn’t say thank you enough, and even got our names. We said it’s okay.

After telling me this i guess i felt myself calming down, and coming around a bit. But i couldn’t help but voice out my concern. What if i get it wrong? She said that’s not possible. She checked my breathing, my vital signs LOL and when she decided I’m okay to administer the shot, she quickly got on her feet and prepared it. After a few minutes, she handed me the syringe, then she said on the dining table so it’s easier for me. She told me to squeeze a part of her fore arm, and hold it up. Firmly. Then told em to position my fingers on the syringe. Hold it, point the needle against the spot which she pointed to me earlier. Then just inject it. Push, then pull.

Ohmygod, ohmygod, after i withdrew the empty syringe i began to shake. Did i get it right? Aaarrgh. My friend was obviously in pain, as expected. But after a minute she patted the area where she substance was injected. “okay na.” she told me, with a thumbs up sign. “and you did great!” then seeing i might pass out anytime, she hugged me. “praning, tapos na. I told you you can do it!”

it was the biggest sigh of relief I’ve ever heaved in ages. And another fear i was able to conquer.

What Would You Do?

Let’s call her Almond. She is a smart, talented, beautiful, funny, kind woman who is very well loved by a lot of people. How could anyone not love her? Aside from the qualities mentioned above – she is really among those few genuinely nice people. The goodness of her heart shines through in anyway. Even people she doesn’t personally know, but who has seen her, spoke even one word with her, has all the good words you can think of when asked what they think of that good woman named Almond.

She’s a bit sheltered, a bit naive, and yet has a rebellious streak in her – which shows in her hair and clothes and her art and music. She’s never boring, not the usual goody-two-shoe. In ways she is Madonna, with the allure of a fine British actress with the heart of Mother Theresa.

She puts other people first, perhaps 90 percent of the time. She has always been careful of other people’s feelings and will not deliberately hurt anyone. If she ever does, trust that she’d be running with a plea for a heart to heart, and a warm hug. She is one of those people whom you’d be grateful to have in your life.

She is every man’s dream girl. And yet, the men whom she has allowed in her life had been reckless and cruel. She is always the one left behind. We all know how she loves, and it’s the kind of love that any decent, sane man could ever ask for and want. But how come they’re never content, and still leave her?

Several years ago, there is this man whom we’ll call Pierce. He loved her, she loved him. They were together for almost two years. They looked great together. Everyone says what a fine couple they make. Theirs seemed like a match made in heaven. And the people who know them were all hoping they’d end up in the altar, exchanging vows. But a couple of months before their 2^nd year, they parted ways. They both said it was a mutual decision. Something they had to do to give way to opportunities that are coming their way. Both of them, after all, had flourishing careers and chances to grow and further succeed are coming in left and right.

Everybody felt sad by their decision, and yet understood. Until barely two months after we knew they parted ways, Pierce made this announcement that he is getting married, to a woman he has only know in less than a month. And they’re getting married in a week! Of course, pierce being in the same circle and them having a lot of common friends, the news reached Almond. And she hasn’t been seen a lot since.

She went away, on hiatus – rested and got herself busy with other things, while she healed. And Pierce enjoy a seemingly blissful married life. For almost a year. For months before he and his wife reached their first year anniversary, they announced it is not working, and will not work, ever. Several months later, their marriage were officially annulled. At the same time, Almond has moved on, and was busy focusing herself on things she is passionate about. Pierce remained friends with his ex-wife, who went jet-setting again, as she has always been doing before – right after their annulment was finalized. They were clearly better off as friends.

Pierce has regained Almond’s friendship as well. Sorrys were said, i-forgive-yous were given. They even worked on projects together. They have always been into the same things so it was easy to break the ice and be friends again.

But nobody is hoping for a reconciliation, for a second chance. Everybody knows how hurt Almond was when Pierce left her, and how painful it was when she learned he was even getting married. That was a really dark phase in her life. She can be friends with him, but she just cannot trust him with her heart again.

So, they’re friends now, right? But over the past weeks they have been working on a project together, and going to gatherings together. Their families, after all are friends too. And recently she has been losing focus, becoming quite emotional and a tad confused.

He is asking for a second chance. Can they start again? Almond doesn’t know if she is still hurt, or if she still love him, or will she be willing to allow him back into her life. Lately she has been asking us that question – do we believe in giving people who has hurt us so much in the past, a second chance?

It’s not that he is pressuring her to decide. But his wanting to get back, was enough to make Almond’s world whirl unsteadily again. She is at that point where she is ready, and willing to settle down. But will she want to spend the rest of her life with someone who broke her heart into pieces and left her in the dark years ago?

When she asked me, my answer was no. but ultimately it’s still her decision. And in case she decides to give him that second chance, he has to work doubly, even triply hard for it. And prove to her, that he is worthy of it. And we know that’s not easy.

How about you – what do you think? What would you do?