33 Random Things About Me

I turned 33 last week, and as noted by Jeng on her YM message to me, it’s Jesus Christ’s age when he was nailed on the cross, died and resurrected. On that regard, the list below somewhat constitutes my version of the Bible. Behind the idea is a Facebook note entitled “25 Random Things About Me” which I wrote last February after giving in to a fad then called note tagging. I just added eight more to complete the roll. Feel free to do your own version then tag friends for your indulgence. Now, on with the list:

1. I met Baz Luhrmann (director of the film “Australia”) in Singapore. Got his autograph and said something like "Can I have another autograph for my friend in the Philippines?" The film he was lobbying then was "Moulin Rouge";

2. I am a fan of prayer. I’m not really the religious type but communicating with a Supreme Being is a therapeutic habit for me. It’s perhaps the closest thing I could get from talking to a shrink. And it’s for free. On this regard, I ask everybody to at least say “Please let him/her live.” when an ambulance passes by or utter a word of gratitude everytime you receive money from ATM;

3. Burt Bacharach’s “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head” is my all-time favorite moving on song;

4. I finished an 8-hour film in one seating last January 24. It's entitled "Melancholia", directed by the great Lav Diaz. No pee break and no food. I did not sleep. I also finished his other film, nine hours long, but with one 30-minute break. I long to see his 10 hours;

5. I don’t pronounce the “H” in Thai. I was informed by my brother through his Thai colleague that it is pronounced that way;

6. I almost missed the plane on my flight back from Athens to Amsterdam. That was the first time I ran big time from the train station up to the airline desk only to find out that the flight was delayed;

7. I can recite the Boy Scout Oath with aplomb;

8. I finished the whole first season of "Meteor Garden" during one Holy Week;

9. Venice, Italy, is my favorite European destination. I love the idea that you're required to relax. No Metro or red bus, just a ferry boat with designated stops;

10. There's only one TV series that I got really hooked to. It's called "The X-Files";

11. The earliest memory of me watching a film inside the cinema was when I was in first grade and the film was the very first “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. If I’m not mistaken, I was with some neighbors then. I had to attend a wedding as a ring bearer or something and an aunt had to fetch me inside the cinema. She had a flashlight;

12. I once brought a special someone to UP Observatory. It was on Valentine's Day;

13. My parents in Quezon Province know that I love pork barbecue and fried chicken wings. It's a foolproof staples everytime I go home;

14. I have a knack for geographical orientation. I easily recognize which is north or south without the help of a compass. I can join "The Amazing Race" because of that;

15. I kinda miss the brownout days during my wonder years. At night, dad would remove the cushion from the bed and would spread it in the living room. Then, four of us in the family would sleep there after some conversation about the cause of the brownout. Talking about some happy thoughts;

16. I slept along the beach in Lobo, Batangas, on the sand, after a heavy drinking bout with friends;

17. I joined the crowd in "Today Show" and met one of its female anchors and asked for an autograph. The funny thing is, I don't know her name;

18. During highschool days, a picture of me appeared on a tabloid. It was a rehearsal picture for a play entitled “Isang Rehearsal”. It so happened that the founder of the theater group, movie press Boy Villasanta, was working for a publication. That wasn’t the first, actually. My face first got famous when it was used as one of the cover pictures for Funny Komiks. I think I was on my fourth grade then;

19. I'm fascinated with number 13 because my birthday falls on that date and the first letter of my name is the 13th letter of the alphabets;

20. Family and friends back home used to call me Joon, a nickname given to me by my brother as a variation of Jun. Mom and dad simply call me "Bunso" (and my brother, "Panganay"). My brother calls me Jong-jong now and my pamangkins, Tito Joon. Officemates from my first job call me Wacks because I represent Bobby Andrews of TGIS fame;

21. I haven’t seen a ghost. It’s not that I would love to;

22. I survived the Chungking Mansions in Hongkong, a seedy place crowded by "real characters". I didn't sleep though. My friends and I decided to look for a new hotel right before we actually stayed there. Film in mind: Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express". Travel books say that you’ll become a legend the moment you stayed there. I feel invincible ever since;

23. I dig MMFF films. Last festival, I finished all six films in one day. Technically, two days (10am to past midnight);

24. For years now, I inherited this habit of not repeating a bottle of perfume. Currently, I’m using DKNY’s Be Delicious classic;

25. I almost had a brawl with a taxi driver. It was Christmas season and the cabs were choosy. I already got in and had put all the grocery bags inside, when the driver decided not to bring me to the apartment. I slammed the door and slightly kicked the side of the cab. The driver got out and asked "Anong problema?" He noticed that I looked like a priest (read: harmless) and started saying something like "Paskong Pasko pa naman, sir. Bawal magalit.” and he got back to his seat. I haven’t kicked a cab since then;

26. I was there in front of the television when Shaider, the dubbed version, first hit the Philippine boob tube. It was Saturday and timeslot was 5pm;

27. My favorite "Batibot" songs are "Isda" (isda-da-da, isda), "Iskargu" (iskargu, tayo ay kumain ng iskargu. isda, karne at gulay....) and "Tokwa" (tokwa, tokwa-wa-wa, tok-wa-wa, tok-wa-wa, tayo ay kumain ng tokwa!);

28. I can recite the "Pinoy Thriller" mantra ("Ano ang nasa dako pa roon? Bunga ng malikot na pag-iisip, likha ng balintataw, o halaw sa isang daigdig ng kababalaghan? Di kayang ipaliwanag ngunit alam mong magaganap... (long pause, then) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!");

29. Thursday Group is my favorite "That's Entertainment" group. They should have won when the judges announced for the first time in history that every group was a winner. This was when Rudy Fernandez, one of the judges, arrived late. Jennifer Sevilla, Kempee de Leon, Smokey Manoloto and the gang did a medley of Philippine folk dances including Vina Morales playing the kulintang while some members danced the “Sayaw sa Bangko” using a 2-storey high pyramid of wooden benches;

30. On my shelf is a signed copy of "Fruitcake", the book, by the Eraserheads;

31. I prayed one time that my next company would have me seated on a table facing the Manila sunset. I've been with them for close to six years now;

32. An "Eat Bulaga!" crew once scolded me at the studio backstage. I didn't know that it was that busy there during breaks. I was starstruck with Pauleen Luna and didn't notice that some guys were rushing towards me, pushing some big props that could flatten me without a doubt;

33. My nephew's second name is Manuel and he is as smart ass as his favorite uncle. I once showed him my Disney wristwatch with Mickey Mouse’s face on silhoutte and asked him to guess who the character is. After a long pause, he said, “I don’t know” which got me disappointed. I told him, “Hey, little boy, it’s Mickey Mouse!”. He nonchalantly protested, “But that could be Minnie Mouse, too!” I miss my pamangkins;