Buhay Pandemya: “The Chosen” Seasons 1 and 2

Photo lifted from Brian Jennings Blog. 

I finished watching Season 2 of this crowd-funded series. And yup, I did my part by ‘paying forward’ as well. LOL

I have to say that I am impressed with this “creative” take of the life of Jesus. Emphasis on “creative” - the director/producer uses much creative licenses to dramatize and humanize. And it is focused more on the humans around Jesus, the humans he chose to be his apostles, followers, etc. Parang Humans around Jesus LOL 

I believe the series started production in 2019 thereabouts. They have produced 2 seasons with a goal of producing 7 seasons and reaching a billion people around the world. (They are at +300M views.) I found about it from my Ate as she excitedly shared this to the family. 

I love the series! As a Catholic watching this series produced by an Evangelical Christian (Dallas Jenkins), I can only say - congratulations for pulling this off! I actually believe that only a non-Catholic could actually pull this off (and I say this with much affection for the Roman Catholic church). His creative licenses would have needed approvals all the way up to the Vatican (Nihil Obstat). And judging by the way he wove the stories, I think the Church might find some ‘objectionable’! But he wanted this to be inclusive, and authentic. He consulted with many sources, including Catholic priests, Greek orthodox, Jewish rabbi, etc. In the end, he has succeeded in creating a story that is both inspiring and enjoyable.

At many parts, I was actually moved to shedding some tears. Some stories resonated deeply: Peter’s conversion, the disabled ‘thief’ living in the fringes. I enjoyed the ‘extremist’ plot line of Simon the Zealot. (That was something I didn’t know!) I also found myself amused that Dallas incorporated some storylines that have always intrigued me. (Jesus and John the Baptist calling each other cousins). And hurrah for racial inclusivity, people of color being cast! (I could swear there were Asians there, too.)  There is also something so contemporary about the dialogues (which might raise some eyebrows). But on deeper analysis, concerns of two thousand years ago may not have been very different from today.

I like the choice of Jonathan Roumie as Jesus. His eyes convey compassion and authority.  His demeanor is relatable (very ‘human) yet stately. Again, a refreshing take on the Jesus as story character.

It’s not perfect. Some episodes do drag out as the stories of the  ‘humans’ have to be fleshed out (pun intended). That Roman Praetor Quintus seemed a tad like a caricature of an evil, scheming villain. Some familiar New Testament events that were linked together seemed ‘incredulous’. 

But these are minor bleeps. The series deserves support (yes, monetary as well) and promotion. I hope to see this series completed and its loft ambitions reached!

Buhay Pandemya: DL continues

I just finished writing the first draft of Book 2 of Daddy Love. It just feels so satisfying to commit to a task and see it through. The reception to the Web Series just overwhelms me. I still can’t believe that the crazy idea would resonate (and pay for itself). I had to make sure the story continues.

I took it another route. I decided to write it myself, as a short novel (ok, even I am cringing at that label. Di ko dasarv. Let’s call it a long story.) There were other themes I wanted to wove into it. So I challenged myself to just write and write. 

It was, at times, so cathartic for me. I found myself angry, ashamed, burdened as I banged away on the keyboard. That in itself is already a reward. Putting into words some of those experiences. Giving voice to some thoughts I have locked away.  

And I chose to write in Filipino, despite having poor command of the language. Somehow, I felt that the story unravels better in Filipino. 

I printed it. Call me old-fashioned. I even used scratch A4 paper. Finally found use for all that paper lying around. Hahaha. And I will reread it and write my notes. 

Will it be produced? I honestly have not made up my mind. I still need to muster the resources and the will power to that all of that again. And I have so many mistakes from that first series that I would have to learn from. 

For now I relish the feeling of completing something. Cheers!

Buhay Pandemya: Going Mental

After a year and a half of this pandemic, and intermittent lockdowns, I have come to realize the impact on my mental health. During lockdowns, I become extremely horny, as in crazy horny. As I am forced to stay put for weeks on end, my libido goes on overdrive. I consume porn (though just like a drug, tolerance increases. It takes much more to turn me on.) And I end up buying sex toys online. 

I’ve always been curious about them. But with the lockdown and the convenience of online shopping (Nasa Lazada yarn!) I am suddenly adding to cart. I won’t go into the details. The reality is that some of those toys still fail to satisfy.

But I did find something that finally agrees with me. LOL. Hands free cup. With varying frequencies. LOL. So I am trying to control myself from getting addicted. LOL (Just like Charlotte and her “Rabbit” in an ep of SATC). Kinda pricey though. But I’d have to say it’s worth it. Sorry. No unboxing video. HAHAHA. 

Buhay Pandemya: Unfinished Business.

MECQ extended till Sep 7. That’s a Tuesday. It is quite odd that they would choose to end middle of the week. They usually end, or start, these lockdowns on weekends. Methinks it has something to do with Ghost Month, as it ends when new moon appears… yup, Sep 7. LOL 

The OC in me is using this long weekend to finally finish Bionic Woman Season 1. I bought the boxed set DVD abroad about 5 or 6 years ago. Bionic Woman, as was Charlie’s Angels, was special to me. The beks in school idolized her. She was strong. She was invincible. She was flat-chested. Lol. That was, I believe, part of the reason I idolized her. She was not in the Miss America mold (as her contemporary Lynda Carter was). I bought the Season 1 DVD to bring back memories. And realized what a chore it was to watch. The story line, the production, the writing. Ugh. But I had to finish it being the OC that I am. I actually feel … guilty for not finishing what I started!

But the satisfaction of finishing … such joy! LOL

I have started very few series that I didn’t finish, guilt-free. One was “The Walking Dead.” I just stopped after the horrifying, particularly gory episode of Steven Yuen’s character’s head being clubbed. I couldn’t take that kind of gore. The other is that BL series last year, My Day. They had to resort to that disgusting scene where the resto servers were ‘compromising’ the food. I’m being gentle here. That just grossed me out.

I have started to watch two old sitcoms: The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Absolutely Fabulous. But I am not able to sustain interest. Yet, I am actually feeling guilty for thinking of not finishing it! LOL. That is why I am very, VERY choosy about which series to watch. I get all these recomms, including koreanovelas. I check out the number of seasons, and episode length. Damn those K-novelas 1hr 20minutes long! 18 to 20 episodes! Ugh.

 I hope that I would be able to feel less guilty about not finishing what I start. Yeah. Rrrright.

Buhay Pandemya: Prayer Life

Since last year, my workouts started with warmups on a stationary recumbent bike. That bike was my dad’s, given by my sister a decade ago. And it is still working and operational. I pray the rosary as I bike. And consistent with my “even wear and tear” mantra, I cycle all my rosaries featured below.

I have also been praying the rosary in Filipino more often as this takes longer. I work up a good sweat. I burn about 100 to 140 calories, depending on speed, effort, etc. But since I don’t workout on Sundays, I join the family (mom, Ate and Bro-in-law) for rosary after Sunday lunch.

Also since lockdown, I have started to pray the Angelus every 6am and 6pm. I don’t remember how I got started. But I do remember sometimes waiting for the church bells (yup, I can hear them from my place) especially in the evening. So it turns out that the Angelus really started out as evening recitation of three Hail Mary’s as the Angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary. Interesting.

So possibly, I am one of those who have become more ‘prayerful’ during the pandemic. Perhaps it gives me consolation and hope. And I need that during these times.

Buhay Pandemya: Nakauwi ng probinsiya bago lockdown ulit

So, we look forward to another lockdown in a week. The gov’t has given us an allowance of one week to prepare. And that means panic-buying, crowding at the supermarkets and drugstores perhaps. They have learned from their agad-agad lockdown announcements? Maybe. With this administration, you never know how they are thinking.

I am lucky I got to travel to the beach house before lockdown happens. Though it’s typical habagat, storm clouds, rain from time to time, angry waves. I am glad that I was able to go home to the province.

Naka-uwi ng probinsiya … that is something I never got to say before, growing up. We, technically, did not have a province to go home to. The ‘ancestral homes’ for both my folks were long gone. Both sets of grandparents settled in Metro Manila and raised their families there. So I envied classmates who were able to ‘go home to the province’ during vacation. Even c3 had that when he was growing up.

But Naka-uwi ng probinsiya eventually also meant being promdi, with all its elitist, Imperial Manila connotations. I felt that in college, entering university. In the freshman block I was part of, there were distinct segments: from province, from Metro Manila. But even that had subsegments: from exclusive schools, from Chinese schools and from gov’t schools, etc.

I didn’t know where I belonged. The peeps from Arneo, Asamson, etc., seemed to know each other so they were a clique. I certainly could not relate to that, with their cars, and their parties and proms. The peeps from the non-elite exclusives were mostly guys. My background would have fit but ewwww … they were all basketball and chasing after girls. I had an easier time assimilating with the people from the provinces. They were welcoming. But they also fall back to their regional languages from time to time. So it wasn’t exactly a perfect fit either.

But on hindsight, the biggest stumbling block for me then was my denial of my homosexual identity. It wasn’t really the language, or the shared experiences, though those things exacerbated my sense of non-belonging. I had this ‘big secret’, being gay, that I couldn’t yet admit. So no matter whom I was engaging with, we would have ‘limits’ to discussion, especially when it comes to ‘crushes and relationships.’

Coming out to my family at the latter part of my freshman year changed all that. I owned up to being gay. And it didn’t matter to me who knew about it in school. Besides, we didn’t have that block anymore. That was when I started to meet peeps from all backgrounds. Eventually, some of those became regular buddies for lunch and for hanging out. My college barkadas were formed. 

Being relaxed about being gay allowed me to experience other people and form bonds with them. Sure there were bullies and homophobes. But it was easy to avoid them. In my own skin, I found it easy to be accepted and even ‘loved’.

I say this with ‘humble bragging’ - Nakauwi ako ng probinsiya bago lockdown. I now have a province to call my own. I am forming provincial roots. The bonus is that this place just happens to have an oceanview. But it is an angry ocean I am looking at right now.