ONAT LOPERA

Holy Thursday

Nothing really happened that day, aside from we had fish and I contacted a couple of friends to meet later that week.

Good Friday

I started my day on the bike. I had a couple of difficulties riding the roads especially the one in front of the Grotto on our barangay. There was traffic and way too many people going up and down the long stairs upwards the 20-something-foot crucifixion statue. I saw a couple of devotees (mga nagpipinetensya) doing their penitences on the road flipping strips of bamboo on their wounded backs. The funny thing was the whole ordeal should be spiritual for them but it was ruined by their “groupies” that marched the streets along with them laughing and talking loud to catch everyone else’s attention, like it’s a funny joke or something. I’m glad I not one of those idiots.

After an hour of biking, I went back home. Flipped the TV on and there it was on Star Movies, into the opening title, a movie that I really wanted to watch ever since I watched the 2004 Oscar Awards and it had acting nominations from this movie, In America. It’s a charming story about an immigrant Irish family who came to live in America. Really good movie, very touching at times. Performances were great! Soundtrack is superb, particularly Andrea Corr’s Time Enough for Tears; it even managed to squeeze its way on my mobile playlist. This is one of those movies that makes you appreciate life more.

Later in the afternoon, along with, I’m guessing millions around the world, we watched Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. I was even joking the day before what version we should watch, widescreen or full screen (or pan scan) edition (we have both).

Black Saturday

After five days of fish, meat is back! And it was also the day for our little reunion. I left home an hour early so that I could swing by an internet cafe to do things I couldn’t do on my dialup; and that is watch movie trailers. 3PM came and I headed of to Booh’s, so we could go to John’s house together. The whole gang was almost all present (Booh, Joyce, Jeremi, Onat, John, Rai and Concon) plus two cute kids (Joyce’s). I brought a handful of movies to choose from but the decision came down to the movie that “maybe” would get the kids stop running around and hitting each other. The votes were in and Saw 2 it was! This one I borrowed from Booh’s when we were on her house earlier. The movie was good, a bit better from the first one. Concept is still the same but the story is far more engaging. And yes, there were a lot of blood.

Movie ended, life updates and stories shared (gossips included) and we had to break the group early. Some to attend the Easter Vigil and some to do other things. I swung by the video shop that night but found nothing good to rent.

Easter Sunday

Sunday started 4:30 in the morning. Like what we did last year, it’s morning beach again this year with the whole family. At the entrance of the beach, printed in bold red letters says “Ocean View Beach Resort. We are opportunists.” Ok, not really those exact words but it says the same thing. Entrance for 12yo and above “magically” became P120 from 80. Maybe they realized that they are the best beach in town (which I think they are) and it is summer and everybody will be going to them especially on the Easter Sunday because everyone loves to go to the beach on that day. My mom asked when and why and the lady on the entrance booth said that the price change was done the other month ago. My mom replied at her with the best comeback saying we were there on the beach not more than two weeks ago (which we were) and we paid P80, not P120. I wished I saw the face on the lady when that happened (I, with my sister, was on the back of the truck) and my mom told us that the shamed lady gave us a discount. LOL. The beach was packed with people as expected; there was even a mass and an egg hunt on the parking lot. We left at around 9, when the sun was beaming and the crowd just won’t stop growing. We arrived home, sleepy from waking very early for the beach.

Looking through those, I can say it was a really good week. So how was yours?