Of course, nothing can beat Filipino Christmas. White Christmases are so overrated. You can't even do a lot of things when it snows.. But still, I think my Christmas this year went great. I didn't expect it to compare to past Christmases in the Philippines with the entire clan and friends just a text or a call away. But we made do with what we had.

Christmas Eve

We went to the Midnight Mass at St. Olaf's Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis. The priest was awesome, he was relatively young--that is to say he's shaved bald, and not actually balding hehe-- and he talked like he was in a conversation with all of us. One of the rare moments I actually listened to everything the priest was saying... Essentially though, he was talking about how you don't have to be so smart to believe in the greatness of God. Nice. And this is what stuck to me: He said, "The real essence of Christmas is simplistic faith." True, you don't have to go to school to have faith, you don't have to be the best person in the world, God favors the simple. God favors those who sincerely believe. Haay. I love Christmas. And the choir was amazing.

So here's a toast to all my family in the Philippines whom I couldn't spend Bingo time with this year-- My sis Michelle, Grampa, Ninong Milo, Kris, Auntie Juliet, Khat, John, She, Barry, Joy, Patrick and Ate Lina... to my pets who always used to get better food come Christmas-- Buffy and Trining, Moshu and Snooky... to my friends who are part of the family already-- Taughffeayhe and Lisette, Afie, Eprel, Diane, Irene, Laurie Anne, Mae and y'all... and of course, to my Cheekyboy Vincent and his wonderful family who's been so nice to me. I wish you all the best the Christmas season has to offer.. and I wish you all a blessed new year! MWahhhh!!!

Nami-miss ko man ang paksiw na galunggong, mas nami-miss ko ang Paskong Pinoy.

Nami-miss ko na ang mga makulay na parol na umiilaw. Di pa kami nagkakaroon nun sa tagal ng pananatili namin sa Villamor Air Base, mahal daw kasi. Pero dito sa Minnesota, meron na kaming parol na umiilaw! Pero di pa rin kagaya ng Parol na nakikita ko sa kalsada.. Yung giant. Yung malayo pa lang, kitang-kita mo na at masasabi mo sa sarili mong..."Ay! Laki ng parol nila! Mayaman siguro yang mga yan.."

Isa pa sa talagang nami-miss ko ay ang mga Pinoy Christmas carols. "Pasko na naman..", "Pasko na sinta ko.." at ang all-time favorite ko na "Christmas In Our Hearts"! Altogether now! Whenever I see girls and boys selling lanterns on the streets... Naks!

Kahit minsan ay nang-aasar na, at minsan ay memorized mo na kung aling ngipin ang may bungi sa kanila, nakaka-miss din yung mga nangangaroling. Gamit lang nila e pinitpit na tansan at alkansiya, aba mantakin mo namana ng galing ng Pilipino.. Sabihan ka mang makunat ka kapag Piso lang ang binigay mo, di ba, aminin! Gusto mo naman silang makita nek year para malaman mo kung sungki na ang ngipin nila o may malaking ngipin na dun sa dating bungi. (Oo, pare-pareho lang ang mga batang nangangaroling sa amin!)

Kahit mahal, di hamak na mas masarap ang honey-glazed ham sa Pilipinas kesa sa turkey ham dito! Mayabang lang ang ibang Pinoy na nakasampa sa Amerika at pinagyayabang ang turkey pero marami naman akong kilala na ayaw sa turkey dahil.. ta-dan! Walang lasa! Pfffhhhhhhhh! Mabuti pa yung pork na ham na gawa ng Purefoods o Swifts masarap talaga. Pork or bust! *Hoy perv! I didn't mean it that way! >( *

At eto ang matindi. Nakaka-miss rin yung mga korning palabas sa TV na trying hard magpakita ng spirit of Christmas to the point na maglalagay ng pekeng snow sa pamamagitan ng paggayat ng styrofoam.. haha Korni talaga.. pero nakaka-miss pa rin.

Malapit nang mag-Pasko, mga kababayan. Maligayang Pasko at maligo kayo sa Bagong Taon. Okey? Orayt

***
Thinking aloud... Ano ang ginagawa ni Santa Claus sa Narnia? Ang korni tuloy.

Never before have I been simultaneously confused, amazed, challenged and astonished by a movie. The movies that I remember liking, may have given me one or two of those feelings but never all four. Except with David Lynch's Mulholland Drive.

This movie, I tell ya, has confused many moviegoers, even those who venture to be deep. And why not? It's a film noir, alright, in the most unconventional sense. It's surreal and it was actually meant to be open-ended. Lynch actually wanted the movie to be subject to interpretation. It could be whatever you wanted it to be. At first look, it doesn't make sense. It seems to be a jumble of subplots and characters that don't connect. Mind you, most of them really don't. But it's that surreal quality that makes you forgive these many quirks and try to figure out the puzzle.

Lynch has succeeded in making Mulholland Drive as cryptic as possible. The average jittery audience with attention-deficit disorder will see garbage in this movie. But some twisted maniacs, like myself, may beg to differ. I think this is David Lynch's gift to aspiring film makers. Wow. From the technical aspect, this may be a case study. Lynch used several--if not all--the tricks in the book. From camera angles to digital editing, it's all in here. And the story is so twisted, so puzzling, it makes sense only if you dare to make sense of it. I won't tell the story here, I know I can't. Watch it and tell me what you think.

All I know is that Mulholland Drive is a rollercoaster ride of a movie, with as much twists and turns and several trips upside down. After the experience, you'd either feel like you've had the best, albeit dizzying, ride of your life... or you'd barf on the side muttering expletives that rhyme with luck and duck.