Variety of Different Modes

Fine tuning

INT. TOKYO TOKYO RESTAURANT - NIGHT

FRANCIS is on the cashier paying his order.

He glance at the LADY that was sitting alone on a table in a corner.

She is eating her sushi.

Using the chopstick, the LADY ate a sushi and she notice someone standing near her. She looks up.

FRANCIS is holding a tray was smiling down at her.

FRANCIS
(smiling)
Hi. Can I share a seat?

Because the LADY’S mouth is full, she nods her head instead as a way of saying yes.
FRANCIS puts his tray on the table and sat down.
FRANCIS
Thank you.

The LADY smiles and FRANCIS smiles too. The LADY proceeds eating while she was reading a book. While FRANCIS arrange his food on the table and put the tray in the side with the LADY’s tray.

Then he remove the chopstick from it’s plastic.
From the other table, FRANCIS saw someone detaching the chopstick and rubbing it to get rid of the splinters.

FRANCIS followed the process that he saw from the nieghbooring table.
Then FRANCIS awkwardly started picking his sushi with the chopstick. He can’t lift the sushi. The sushi fell.

He tried again and this time, he almost made it to his mouth but it fell again halfway.
FRANCIS felt that he was being watched and so he stole a glance to the LADY.

FRANCIS saw the lady trying not to laugh but she can’t help it, she smiled at FRANCIS.

FRANCIS
It’s my first time to eat Japanesse food.

LADY
That’s okey. I think you should just use a fork.

FRANCIS
Nah. I think I could...

LADY
Go ahead. Nobody cares. You can use a fork.

FRANCIS
You think so?

LADY
Yes.

FRANCIS
(getting up)
I’ll... excuse me. I’ll get a fork.

FRANCIS dissappear for a while and then he comes back with a fork.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)
(showing the fork)
Got it.

And FRANCIS sits.

LADY
Then you put that green stuff to the sauce.

FRANCIS
This one?

FRANCIS pointed the green stuff.

LADY
Yes.

FRANCIS did as he was told. Using the fork, he put the green stuff to the sauce. T

here was still left on the fork, he put it in his mouth.

LADY
(quickly)
Don’t put it...
It was already too late. FRANCIS already put the green stuff in his mouth. And then, realizing the chilli bitter taste, FRANCIS’s face showed pain.
FRANCIS fanned his mouth and then he takes a long swallow of iced tea.

FRANCIS
(after drinking)
What is this?

LADY
(making an effort not to laught)
I’m sorry. I tried to tell not to eat it but it was too late.

FRANCIS
(face distorted)
It’s burning my mouth.

LADY
(worried look on her face)
I’m sorry.

FRANCIS
That’s okey. I’m fine now.

minutes had passed and FRANCIS is finishing his drink while the LADY was reading a novel and finishing her drink too.

FRANCIS cleared his throat and it caught the attention of the LADY.

FRANCIS
(smiling nervously)
Hi, this is kind of awkward. Think of it this way. Ten years from now, I’m married to a girl I no longer love and hating my life. Then I though of you whom I didn’t ask for coffee cause I’m afraid. And I though, what if I’d asked you for coffee, would my life be different? So I won’t regret anything, I would ask you to have coffee with me...
(awkwardly)
Would you have coffee with me. Just one cup.

FRANCIS smiled pleadingly.

The LADY look at FRANCIS.

Then, she crack a smile.

EXT. COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT

The coffee shop girl put coffee on two cups. The she brings the coffee to the counter where FRANCIS is waiting.

FRANCIS smiles.

After getting sugar and cream from the counter, FRANCIS carries the tray with the coffee to where the LADY was sitting.

FRANCIS smiles at the LADY and the LADY smiles back.
FRANCIS gave the LADY her coffee and he put his to his side of the table.

FRANCIS return the tray to the counter and goes back to the table where the LADY was waiting for him.
FRANCIS sit down.

FRANCIS
(smiling and offering his hand.)
I’m Francis by the way.

LADY
I’m Dindi.

FRANCIS
(shaking Dindi’s hand)
Nice to meet you.

DINDI gave FRANCIS a smile.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)
So, you’re an executive ha?

DINDI (LADY)
Yeah. How did you guess?

FRANCIS
I can tell by the way you dress.

DINDI
And you... your an accountant ha.

FRANCIS
Yeah. How did you know?

DINDI
I can tell by the way you dress.

FRANCIS
(smiling)
I graduated accountancy three years ago but still found a job till now.

DINDI
Sorry.

FRANCIS
That’s okey. I’m enjoying my youth anyway.
DINDI smiles.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)
So where do you work?

DINDI
I work at the Philippines stock exchange.

FRANCIS
(showing disbelief)
Wew. I’m having coffee with a big shot here.

DINDI
(smiling)
No, not really.

FRANCIS
I’ve been to the Philippine Stock Exchange once and I see those stock brokers not doing anything. They’re just sitting on their asses.

DINDI
Yah. There’s not much foriegn investors investing in our country.

FRANCIS
But did you thinkk of another source of investors like here in the Philippines?

DINDI
There’s only few people who invest in our stock exchange cause the profit if they ever is so small.

Francis was an accountancy graduate. He graduated three years ago and still looking for a job until now. He couldn't find a job cause he wants a job that is in a building in Makati. His grades are low which barely passed and of course no one would accept him. But he only applies jobs in Makati.
His parents are in the United States and he was supposed to be there except that his petition has been approved when he was twenty one. When you reach twenty one, you can't go to the United States if you're applying for an immigrant Visa. He so wanted to go to the United States and when that fails, his world crumbled. He longe to be in America where the weather is cool. He hates his life here in the Philippines cause it's hot and he rides jeepney and it's so conjested and everytime he rides a jeepney, he dreams of beeing in the United States having a car. He dreams of having a car of his own here in the Philippines. An airconditioned car so that he could not breath the air of the polluted air of the Philippine streets. He could only have a car if he's in the States cause he could find a job there and the pay is big that almost everyone could buy a car. That's why he so wanted to go to the United States. One of his favorite past time is watching movie. English movies cause when he watches those American movies, he could escape the Philippines and imagine himself to be in America as he watches the movie. Of course when the movie ends, he's back to the Philippines and when he step out of the mall, the warm air would greet him and he's back in the Philippines again. The dream is over; back to the problem.
Anyway, Francis though of a story that he though would help the Philippine economy and would give jobs to the unemployed. It happened when he went to the Philippine Stock Exchange to apply as an executive there. Of course he didn't get accepted cause of his low grades and no experience in work except for his OJT. There in the Philippine Stock Exchange, he saw the stock brokers or so what he though. He don't know what they are called but their job was to sell and buy stock for people. But what he saw did not empress him. Cause unlike what he saw in the movies, stock brockers are very frantic in doing their jobs as if the hell is after them. What he see in the Philippines Stock Exchange is quite the opposite in the Wallstreet. The stock brokers are just sitting on their asses not selling stock. When he asked one of the stock brokers why he isn't doing anything, the stock broker told him: " There isn't any foriegn investor invisting in the Philippines."
"What about our local investors?" Francis asked.
"There isn't much people invest in the Philippines cause it's not that profitable. Unless you invest big then you can profit big."
So Francis went home with a though about his head. How to get foriegn investor to his country. But with the unstable economy and the problems of the government, the chance of getting the foriegn investor to invest in the country is a very hard task.
By chance, Francis remembers what President John F. Kennedy said: "Ask not what you're country can do for you but what you can do for your country."

Then Francis though of the people. Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country. Francis though: Invest not for profit but for your country.
Francis smiled at the though of that.

FRANCIS
I have this idea you see. If I was the president, I would pass a law letting the citezin of this country to buy stock at the Philippine Stock Exchange.

DINDI
That’s a lot of capital. What are we gonna do with that much capital?

FRANCIS
I don’t know. Build factories that would make washing machine, stereo, TV’s, appliances. Things that the people buy and gives them jobs.

DINDI
I don’t think it would give jobs to our millions of people that are unemployed.

FRANCIS
Well, we still need those foriegn investors. Well, since we have so many capitals, we’ll go from one industrialized country to another and ask them to invest in our country with the fifty percent of the capital on us. That should make us a very attractive site for investors.

DINDI
Good I idea of yours. You though about that yourself?

FRANCIS
Yap. It’s a good idea, and what it needs is to be heard by the right people. And what a coincidence, I’m having coffee with an executive from the Philippine Stock Exchange... would you tell your boss about my idea?

DINDI
Sure.

FRANCIS
Great. Maybe you could give me a job ha?

DINDI
Yah. Maybe I could.

So Francis have this idea. He thinks it's a great idea and what interested him most was that he could solve the country's poverty problem. They just have to buy some stock. Francis was a dreamer and he know his dream was an almost impossible task. He though, how can I get this idea of mine to be heard by the right people. For sure they would think he was crazy; Francis was not just a dreamer, he was also realistic. So reality check. He is also broke. He don't have any money anymore. He wished he have a lot of money so he wouldn't be hungry when he passes in McDonald's when he goes to the mall. ( Francis's favorite pass time is go to the mall. He don't have any money always but he has money for fair and two cigarettes and sometimes, when he still have money, he watches movie.) He depended on his allowance which his parents send him every month. His idea hanged in his head for a while as he though of how he would bring his idea into a reality.

He was watching an english movie, when I say an english movie, it's a movie from England. He forgot the title but it was a movie about an insurance scheme. It has nothing to do with his plan but Francis though of an idea. He though, he should make a movie about his scheme so that people would see it and then the right people would see it and they would put his idea into action.
He don't know anything about a movie and he though he would write a script. But he don't know how to write a script, the least how it looks like. So Francis though, he would just go see a producer and he would tell the producer about his movie that he though about especially the scheme and then he would ask for a scriptwriter that would write the script for him. With that in mind, Francis went to the building of a famous TV company. He went to ABS-CBN. Unfortunately, he don't know any producer and the gaurds wont let him in. Francis hang around outside the building for a while when he see a poster. He reads it and it was about a workshop about script writing. Francis, who's hopes fell down cause he can't get inside the ABS-CBN building had a new hope. He got the number for inquiries and he called the next day. He went to the class and learned how to write a script from examples that the mentor gave his class. Now, Francis have idea on how the scripts look like and how he would write it. The mentor even gave him a copy of Final draft .6 that makes script writing easy. Some of the things that Francis learned was how to write a script, how to make a good story and how to write it the easy way and fast.
With the new knowledge that he knew, and with luck cause he got a PC at home, Francis installed the Final Draft 6 and started to write his script. He got his favorite thing and he's got his scheme to write about. His first problem was how to get started. Someone said that getting started is finnishing half the work. Finishing half the work as Francis realize was the most difficult thing. He though, he should start with the scene that he went inside the Philippine Stock Exchange and went looking for someone who is in a high position where he would tell his idea and would tell it to the higher up and so that's when the ball starts rolling. But then, Francis don't know how or what the offices of the building looks like. Describing it was the hardest thing and he have no idea how it looks or the least who to confront.

Big problem!

And so, the night went past with Francis sitting infront of the computer watching the monitor not knowing how to begin.

So, month went by and Francis didn't write his first script.. He kept watching movies just to get inspired and get some ideas until he rented a movie, and coincidentally it's an enlish movie again. It was titled killing time. It was a short good movie and Francis like it very much. It was very cool. It was about a cop who hate creminals and inorder to kill one rich creminal, he hired an assassin and the assassine was a lady from Itally. The cop don't have money to pay the assassin so he sent some thug to kill the assassin after killing the creminal that he wants to kill. Then the thugs one by one was killed by the assassine through their assorted stupidy. It was a funny movie. In the end, the assassine killed the creminal and the cop was left alive when the assassin got her pay from the creminal whom she killed. What interested Francis when he watched the movie was that at the end of the movie when the credit was over was the saying that says:
"All it takes to make a movie was a woman and a gun."

Francis though it was so cool. He wished he could make a movie like that. If he could just combine the first english movie that he sees and the Killing time, he would make a good movie. So Francis reckon, he would have a beautiful woman in his movie so that many people would like to see his movie. So beautiful woman is in the plan. Then what? Then Francis though, he would create the scene where he would be loitering the Philippine Stock Exchange building and he sees the woman going out of her office and Francis fall in love at first sight. He would use the woman as his key to his scheme in getting heard by the right people. And so, Francis turned on his computer and he guess what? He found himself staring at the monitor again not being able to type anything. He is staring at a blank space. His problem with the office was there again cause he don't have any idea how it looks like. Then he remembers something what his mentor in scriptwriting said. Keep it simple. So Francis though, how would I make it simple. How would I keep it simple so that the reader or the producer where the mentor told him would only read a few pages of the script that is given to them. They get lots of script all of the time that they get easily tired of scripts and that if your script is that uninteresting, chances are is that they would just throw your script after reading a single page. So keep it simple. Francis asked himself, how do I keep it simple? The office scene would be very hard to write about. Francis asked himself how could I keep it simple? He asks that question as days even month had passed staring at the monitor. Then one thing gave him an idea. He was walking in the mall one day when he saw a beautiful woman. She wasn't just beautiful, she was an actress and Francis recognized her. Francis dared follow her to catch a glimpse of her. He overtook her and he look at her face to face and then after he got a good picture of her in his mind and the lady went inside a boutique, Francis let her go. The actress was very beautiful and Francis fell inlove at first sight. And what a coincidence, Francis, though, she would be the perfect woman for his movie. The woman's name was Dindi Galliardo. She was beautiful, sexy, and most of all tall. She would look good in an executive clothes. As Francis sat in his computer that night, inspired and resolute, Francis skipped the office scene. "Fuck the office scene." he said. Then Francis though of the woman, and then he pictured her and him following her. Tick tack, it ticked.


EXT. PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE - AFTERNOON

FRANCIS was sitting on the ledge outside the building of the Philippine Stock Exchange. He is smoking a
cigarette.

Music starts: “Glory box” by Portis head.
FRANCIS grounds his cigarette with his shoes and he pricked.

He lift his shoes showing the hole of the sole where he grounded the cigarette. He moaned of pain.

Then a lady comes out of the entrance of the Philippine Stock Exchange. She is dressed like an executive which enhanced her beauty. She is very beautiful, tall and smart looking.

FRANCIS watch the girl pass by with a dazed look on his face.

FRANCIS got up and follows the girl. He keeps his distance.

The music is still blairing in the background as FRANCIS follows the girl in the side walk; the building towering over them.

The girl goes down the elevator of the underground pedestrian pass. FRANCIS from a distance is still shadowing the girl.

The Underpass is huge and is traffic with business people crossing the street that was above them.

FRANCIS POV: The LADY is walking not knowing she was followed. She walks so gracefully among the other pedestrian who are walking the underground sky walk.
She uses the escalator to go up.

EXT. MAKATI SIDEWALK - AFTERNOON

The lady step out of the escalator and continued walking in the sidewalk.

She crosses the street and continue walking.

EXT. MRT TERNINAL - AFTERNOON

She goes up the step to the Metro rail terminal.

INT. MRT TERNINAL - AFTERNOON

She insert a card in the entrance and come in.
After fice people passes by, FRANCIS insert his card on the entrance and follow the lady.

INT. MRT TERMINAL - AFTERNOON

The lady comes down the escalator to the waiting area of the MRT.

She waits for the train.

FRANCIS goes down the escalator and proceed to wait for the train at a respectable distance from the lady.

The train arrives and the lady step inside.
FRANCIS step inside on the other door.

INT. TRAIN - AFTERNOON

The music “Glorybox” is still on the air and FRANCIS is watching the lady from a distance.

The LADY turns her head in the direction of FRANCIS and FRANCIS looks away.

INT. SHAW BOULEVARD MRT TERMINAL - AFTERNOON

The train arrives at the Shaw boulevard MRT terminal. There commuters waiting in the waiting area. The train stops and the doors open.

The lady step out of the train and went for the escalator

At the last second before the door closes, FRANCIS step out of the train and went to the escalator.

EXT. SHAW BOULEVARD MRT TERMINAL - AFTERNOON

The Shaw boulevard MRT Terminal is connected to the Shangrila mall. From down the street, The LADY can be seen crossing the bridge that connect the Terminal to the top floor of the mall.

INT. SHANGRILA MALL - AFTERNOON

From the ground floor, the LADY is seen going down on the escalator from the fourth floor.

Francis skipped the office scene and he went right to sitting on the ledges outside the Philippine Stock Exchange building and smoking. Francis wanted it to be sick so he showed a man chainsmoking and as if luck has it, he added Francis grounding his cigarette with his shoes that got a hole in the sole. Francis ( who's the name of the leading man cause Francis couldn't find any cool name for his character instead of his own.) grounded the cigarette with his holed shoes and he accidentally stepped on the cigarette in the hole burning his foot and socks. It was the que for the lady to step out of the entrance of the Philippine Stock Exchange office. Then Francis got up and started following the lady. Francis pictured it as he was walking the camera is placed bellow him showing the buildings of Makati towering over him contrasted by the blue sky. Then the lady too. Francis even went to Makati and the places where the scenes would be shot so he could be sure. Francis only hoped that he would be in the crew when the movie would be shot so he could tell the director where the location of the scene's are. But hoping for Francis is not enough. He wanted a hundred percent creative power over his movie. What Francis did? He went to ABS CBN and what a coincidence, there was a workshop for directors. Francis enrolled for the workshop where the mentor was an American. Francis though he is a very lucky man. Francis don't just want to be the scriptwriter, he want to be the director as well. So Francis followed the lady who's ( Francis name the lady Dindi too cause he couldn't find any name that is cooler than Dindi for his English movie as he calls it.) From the Philippine Stock Exchange towards the Metro Rail Transit of Ayala Avenue where Dindi took the transit to Shangrila Mall. You might ask why Dindi went to the Shangrila mall instead of the Mall in Glorieta. Well, for cinematographic reason, Francis want to show the hugeness of the place cause Francis want it to be like an ENGLISH MOVIE. Like the movie "Killing time." where the subway is empty and huge. And Shangrila mall is very big and the Metro Rail Transit's terminal is connected to the mall. It was a coincidence that the terminal in Shangrila is very huge and that the view from down the ground floor of the Shangrila and fifth or the sixth floor of the malls elevator where Dindi would come down when she enters the mall at the bridge that connected the terminal and the mall. It would be very good. The places of the scenes of the movie are very mostly huge. All the best places in Manila are almost shown on the movie. Not really the typical scenery in Manila but Francis's point was to show huge places and Shangrila is a very huge place and is not very crowded. It's so English as Francis likes to put it. Francis didn't care that the viewer of his movie would ask why the lady would go to Shangrila instead of Glorietta where it is situated in Makati. Francis was targeting his movie to be viewed internationally, more importantly in America. That's why he wrote his script in english instead of tagalog. But Francis was very confident that his movie was competent to be an American standard in movie. He thinks it's very cool as he imagine and schemed his movie. As time pass by; as many times and as he roam the malls he though nothing of but his script and how he's going to make it very good.

Then next hard part was how he is going to convince Dindi to be part of his scheme. Francis though of acting a fool so that he could fool the lady and the viewer laugh so Francis though of a confrontation where he would confront the lady. It was a scene in Tokyo tokyo, a Japanesse restaurant. Francis likes Japanesse food. Then there's a Tokyo tokyo in Shangrila. Francis couldn't believe his luck. So there Dindi was, was eating sushi while reading a book and Francis knowing that Dindi would always come to Shangrila every wednesday and eat at the same restaurant. This is her weekly ritual and Francis knew it from following her for a month and can't find the courage to confront Dindi. Francis once had a Japanesse friend who introduced him to sushi. His Japanesse friend, who's name was Norito treat him to a Japanesse restaurant. There, Francis tried to be cool. He don't know how to use a chopstick and when their food arrived, Francis followed what Norito is doing. He followed Norito as Norito remove the chopstick from the plastic and rubbing it together to get rid of the splinter. It showed when Francis remove the chopstick from it's plastic and when he saw the person from the other table rob it together, it was Norito that he though about. It got Dindi's attention.
Then how to get Dindi to have coffee with Francis where he would tell her his scheme and lure her to be his accomplish.

DINDI
There’s only few people who invest in our stock exchange cause the is so small.

FRANCIS noticed that DINDI did not touch her coffee.

FRANCIS
You’re not drinking your coffee.

DINDI
I might not be able to sleep. I have to be early at work tomorrow.

FRANCIS
Well, in that case, let’s have a shake. You know thirsty? Their shake is very delicious. I bit you haven’t tried it yet.

EXT. THIRSTY STALL - NIGHT

DINDI from a distance is watching FRANCIS falling in line to order some shake at the THIRSTY stall. The man infront of FRANCIS finished with his business and it was FRANCIS’s turn.

FRANCIS smiled to the attendant.

ATTENDANT
What’s your order sir?

FRANCIS
Two mango shake please.

ATTENDANT
Two mango shake. What size?

FRANCIS
Large.

ATTENDANT
That would be ninety pesos sir.

FRANCIS gave the ATTENDANT a hundred bucks.
The ATTENDANT takes the money and then punched some numbers to the cash register and then gave FRANCIS his change.

FRANCIS joins DINDI.

FRANCIS
It takes so long to get your order here. I mean, look at that.

FRANCIS pointed to the other attendant who was working on the BLENDER.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)
They blend one order at a time. Filipino people are not very resourceful. They could just have get a bigger blender to accomodate those mango shake drinkers. Cause they know that most of their customer order mango shake. If they got a bigger blender, they could give their customers a faster service and save some money from electricity in the process. Cause no matter how small they save, it becomes big. Look at the Chinesse, they’re so prudent in their business. No matter how small they profit, they still continue on doing business. And look at them, they’re the one’s that got rich.

DINDI
(can’t help to smile)
You’re so right. I never though of that.

INT. BAR - NIGHT
After their shake, FRANCIS and DINDI found themselves in a bar that is half empty. Slow night. FRANCIS is talking while he keep on watching the door.

FRANCIS
(with convection)
I really want to help our country you know. Ironically, I want to work abroad... But that’s because this country can’t give me the life I want; you know, big salary, my own house, car and everything.

DINDI
Why you kept looking at the door?
FRANCIS
Don’t it bother you? This half empty bars. You know why this bar’s half empty?

DINDI
(smiling)
Why?

FRANCIS
It’s because their drinks are so expensive cause they target the rich customer. And you know why people get rich in this country?

DINDI
I suppose you’re gonna tell me?

FRANCIS
It’ because they don’t spend their money. I mean, they could just target the students. Cause wherever the students are, is where the parents money is. Then this bar wouldn’t be half empty. This would be full. And the owner would be happy with the big profit that he would increase the wages of the bartenders and waiters and the waiters and the bartenders with their extra money would buy stereos and TV’s which would pay for the wages of the factory workers who, after a hard days of work would go to this bar to relax and unwind. It’s just like the food chain. Everybody eats and get eaten. And then it would be the survival of the cheapest, everyone would lower the prices of their goods and commodity and the customers would buy what they’re sellin cause prices are cheap. Then we’re gonna turn this nation into a consumer driven country. That is in my opinion why Japan and America are so rich: Becuase of consumerism.

EXT. BAYWALK - NIGHT

The BAYWALK is still full of parkgoers even though the hour is late. FRANCIS and DINDI are one of the park goers walking at the park.

FRANCIS
So, how come a beautiful woman like you don’t have a boyfriend?

DINDI
(smiles)
I don’t know. I think I scare my suitors off.

FRANCIS
Yeah. You’re really scary though.

DINDI
You’re not scared.

FRANCIS
Believe me. I was scared. But you know my motto.
DINDI
What’s your motto?

FRANCIS
Always keep your writ of will so that your epitaph reads no regret.

DINDI
And you don’t have any regrets?

FRANCIS
Yes. You give me a kiss now and I can die tomorrow.

DINDI can’t help but to smile.

They pass by an old man selling popsicle.

OLDMAN
Popsicle ma’am...sir.

DINDI looks at the OLD MAN with a kind eyes.

DINDI
Poor man. So old, he’s still working.

FRANCIS
That’s one thing we need to fix in this country so that people would live for today instead of tomorrow. The Social Security System. We give the people big pentions with health benefits so that those people in retirable age would retire giving the younger people jobs. Becuase they have health benefits, they would just spend their money for today not for tomorrow.

DINDI looks at her watch.

DINDI
(looking at her watch)
Oh no. I forgot the time. It’s late. I have to go to work early tomorrow. I have to go home.
DINDI fumbles at her bag.

DINDI (CONT’D)
Here’s my calling card. Call me. I will tell my boss about your idea.

FRANCIS
Good. I’ll call you then.

DINDI
Nice meeting you.

FRANCIS
Me too. Let me take you home.

DINDI
No. You don’t have to.

FRANCIS
I got you up this late, the least I could do is take you home safe.

As become his ritual, when he's going on a dead end, Francis went to the mall to clear his mind and to relieve his headache. Seeing beautiful woman eases his mind. He saw a lot of beautiful woman and it eases him. He though as he always though when he see beautiful woman, he wished he had one. But how? He's not rich. Beautiful woman like rich man. He don't have any money. He do have a goodlooks but woman in the Philippines always say no when they say yes. And so we find them being with a man that we don't think she likes. If they could be a little hones they would be happy. I heard someone say that you don't know what you want till you're fortyfive and when you know what you want, you'll be too old to use it. Ironic. That was life is to me. I hate life. Me, I know what I want. Beautiful woman and a nice life. Rich life. Rich with friends and money so I don't have to work and just live life as I like it. That's what me and Francis have in common: He likes to live life to the fullest and beautiful woman. Who wouldn't want a beautiful woman for your companion for life. As they say, you can't have all you want. There is no compromise. The only compromise you have is to know when to settle. That's the only compromise you have if there is any. Anyway, Francis wandered in the cinema and checked out what's showing. It was wednesday and it was change of program. Francis is happy cause he could watch a movie if he finds something he likes. What Francis like in the movie is movies that have beautiful woman cause he would imagine he was the man of the woman in the movie and it felt good. That's why Francis likes to watch movie so much. That's how Francis watched the movie "After sunset" because the woman in the movie was very beautiful. He though she's very beautiful. He'd seen her a lot of times in the movie and he likes her movies. The actress's name was Julie Delpy. And her love interest in the movie was Ethan Hawke. Julie, who played the role of Cilene, a beautiful french woman who was on her way home to France from her visit to her grandmother in Budapesst met Ethan Hawke in the train. They started talking and liked talking to each other. When the train stopped in Vienna, Ethan asked Julie to go walking with him around Vienna cause he don't have any money for hotel as he waits for his flight the next day back home to the States. And you would see in the script when Francis asked Dindi to have coffee with him. It was a little the same. You watch "After Sunset" to see the similarity. And so, Ethan and Julie went walking around Vienna from one coffee shop to another, and one bar after another just talking about life and whatever they think that interest them. Francis wanted to it to be like his movie to be as cool like that. Cause he think going from one coffee shop to another; two beautiful people talking about interesting things. And Francis has got a lot of interesting thing to say in his movie. One example is how he would explain his scheme.. And then "Consumerism." Francis though consumerism is the key to the developement of the country's economy. The law of supply and deman is depending on the people that would buy the goods and services that the business of the country have. If there's no one who would buy, then business would go bunkrupt which means unemployment. Francis found this idea of him when he went to Hongkong. He saw those tall buildings and the clean streets and the beautiful people, he said to himself. I want my country to be like that. Not just that, he sees that businesses are good there beacause many people buys. And why many people buys? It's because it's cheap. Then, as Francis observed in the Philippines as a social climber or so he seems to thinks so. ( Francis goes to this fancy half empty restaurant so he would think himself social. But he always feel bad for the owner cause it would just close in six month. And what bother's him the more is that they are alway empty. That's why with the bar scene is all about) He goes to this classy restaurant that sells overpriced drinks and food noticing that no one goes there. He though, it's because it's expensive. Then he though, that's why they overpriced their goods to gain from their lonely business. If they would just lower the prices of their goods and services, then many people would surely buy. They target the rich and why the people get rich in the Philippines? It's because they don't spend their money. It seems that the only one who is spending their money are the social climbers. Mostly students and office workers. Francis though, this businessman should target the students, cause where the students are, is where the parents money is. How to ensure the business? There is no clear answer. Only risk. And to come down for your business. Since fancy restaurant attracts people, wouldn't it be nice that they have a good time patronizing the restaurants with out worrying of spending more than you could afford? Cheap draws costumer but as Francis see's this businesses, they discriminate the middle class by being un affordable. People doing business should change the way they look at things. To depend on the high volume of sales in a cheap price in which they could pay their workers. A higher pay would not be asking a lot since this workers are gonna be your costumers too. They would spend their money cause the price of the commodity is cheap and then it would become in a situation where it becomes the survival of the cheapest. Everybody eats and gets eaten. Just like the food chain. And money is the decompositional element. Because business in the Philippines would be profitable, more people would make business giving people jobs and the poverty would be lessen which caused crime and trouble. Less trouble and crime would attract investor and the stockbrokers of the Philippine stock exchange would be busy cause foriegn investors would stream in the country casue they would see a potential profit. This things that Francis have though of are the things he want to say in his script. And watching After Sunset gave Francis a good opportunity to tell want he wants the viewers to know. It's his way of saying, like in the song by Eddie Brecke's song "What I am", when she sang, choke me in the shallow water, before I get too deep. It's his way of educating the people of the Philippines to the stock market business. It was meant to be simple so that it would be easily understood.

INT. PHILIPPINE STOCK EXCHANGE CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT

They are working over time. secretaries going in and out of the conference room giving papers to the executives.

FRANCIS is listening as MRS. GONZAGA was talking on the board where there is statistical pies on the board.

She is smoking while she was standing up looking at documents while people in a frantic are busying themselve too with their laptops and cellphones.

INT. COFFEE SHOP GREENBELT - DAY

Two of the EXECUTIVES of the research team are talking with an executive from other company. They shake hands and talk while the laptops are open.

INT. FACTORY - DAY

FRANCIS along with DINDI and a few of the executives are visiting some factories in which they would supply with capital when the Citezin Stock Project is pushed through.

And so, Francis and Dindi went talking as they go from one bar to another and all the topics, changes and ideas that Francis want to be told are told. But not all. There is one topic that Francis wants to be told was when they are at the stand of the Thirsty drinks. When he said that the Filipino people are not very resourceful when he thinks that Filipino have great potential. Filipino have invented a lot of things. Like the flourescent light. It was invented by a Filipino name Agapito Flores. There was also the Jeep that is popular in America, it was a Filipino who invented it. It's just that we don't have a capital here so they are bought by foriegn companies. And Francis hate to think of it. He promises that if he was the President, he's going to do something about it. He's going to support the Filipino inventors and scientist so that we are going to get the credit of our own inventions. And so, Francis put in his script a scene where Francis along with his colegue visited cause they are going to support it when they get the capitals that they needed. Francis fancy himself saying that he's going to bring the Philippines to the modern world. He's gonna turn the Philippines from a third world country to an industrialized country. Francis is ashamed of saying though that he wants to go to the United States with his parents. The reason for that is because he cannot get the life that he wanted here in the Philippines. Francis wants to live in a high standard of live home and a car and a big pay where he could enjoy his life. And it is an impossible dream when you're in the Philippines. Not unless you win the lotto. But Francis couldn't go to America because he was already twenty one when his petition got approved. It shook the world of Francis. So now, Francis is going to make the Philippines like America so that he could get the life he wanted here. And indeed, love can move a mountain. Francis is so desperate and in his desperation, he come up with his idea and he's going to save the world in the process.

So, what Francis want to say and to adress the people, he told it in the bars and coffee shop that Francis and Dindi went to. Of course Francis's idea wouldn't work without the help of the consumer. Consumerism is the key to his success to turn his country into an industrialized country. How to turn the Philippines into a consumer driven country? There's this song that Francis like so much, it's the song from Yano intitled "Naroon". The song has a very meaningful lyric. It is written in Tagalog but I will write it in english so that everyone can understand it. At the first line, the lyric said:

Do we play a role at the worldwide play.

He didn't say much in the script that's why he asked me to write this book to reach the audience what he want them to do to help. Do we play a role of a worldwide play. As consumer, our rule is to spend our money to help the businessess. The second like told us that we Filipino are just a shadow of the past. What it means is that are we just the shadow of the past our heroic and revolutionary ancestors. Francis want the people to take a part in this worldwide play to spend their money, to buy stocks in the stock exchange to help the economy. The business wont strive if no one is buying what they're selling. So as that what he though so that the businessman would just depend on the volume of sales at the price that's cheap in which they can pay for their depts and pay their employees. Because business is good; the profit is big, so is the taxes are big. And then the third line of the song said:"Alipin ng kinabukasan".

We Filipinos are a slave of the future because we don't spend our money for whatever the future would bring us. Like emergencies and educations. But if people would spend their money, then profits in business would be big and so as taxes in which the country would benefit from it. One of the things that Francis would like to change if he was a president is that he would increase the social security of the workers so that they wouldn't have to live for the future. They would live for today and holidays. They would live to have fun. Becuase the country would be rich and it can afford to give the people a big pention so that the workers in their retirable age would retire giving jobs to the young workers.

Who would make the first move? Would the businessman would make the first move? Or the consumer?


EXT. HOTEL - NIGHT

The Mercedes swerve to the side of the entrance and FRANCIS and DINDI got out of the car.

INT. HOTEL CONFERENCE HALL - NIGHT

FRANCIS and DINDI enters the hotel conference room. All of the guest are already there.

Some lady friends of DINDI welcomed the couple joyfully. They complemented each other.

FRANCIS shake hands with his new executive male friends.

MRS. GONZAGA was talking to the PRESIDENT with some other important people and she saw FRANCIS.

MRS. GONZAGA
(excusing herself)
Mrs. President, will you excuse me for a moment, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.
PRESIDENT
Sure.
And the PRESIDENT continued talking to some of the other guest.

MRS. GONZAGA arrive at the side of FRANCIS.

MRS. GONZAGA
Francis?

FRANCIS turn to see MRS. GONZAGA.

FRANCIS
(smiling)
Hi Mrs. Gonzaga. You looks so wonderful tonight.

MRS. GONZAGA
Thank you. Am, I like you to meet someone.
(to Dindi)
Dindi, can I borrow you date?

DINDI
Sure.

So DINDI continued talking to her friends and FRANCIS followed MRS. GONZAGA to where the circle the PRESIDENT was talking.

MRS. GONZAGA
Mrs. President, I’d like you to meet the man behind the Citezen Stock Project.

MRS. PRESIDENT
(looking at Francis)
So you’re the guy who’s behind what everyone in this party are talking about.

FRANCIS
Yes Mrs. President.

MRS. PRESIDENT
How nice. So you though about that yourself?

FRANCIS
Yes Mrs. President.

MRS. PRESIDENT
How come nobody though about that? How did you though about that?

FRANCIS
Well, I guess it was just luck and with a little knowledge about the stock market.

The PRESIDENT nod an approving nod and everyone in the circle did too.

Then an American joined the circle. He was holding a drink and he was smiling.

He was looking at the PRESIDENT.

The PRESIDENT saw the AMERICAN and she smiled at him.

MRS. PRESIDENT
Oh, Mr. Embassador. How nice of you to joined us. I want you to meet the guy who is behind the Citezin Stock Project. Meet Francis.

MR. EMBASSADOR
(looking amusingly at Francis)
So you’re behind this idea that everyone was talking about.

FRANCIS
Yes sir.

MR. EMBASSADOR
(offering his hand)
Well, let me shake your hand.
They shook hands.

MR. EMBASSADOR (CONT’D)
(shaking Francis hand)
Nice to meet you.

FRANCIS
Nice to meet you too.

MR. EMBASSADOR
It’s a great idea of yours. It’s gonna give a lot of people jobs I hope.

FRANCIS
We’ll just expect the worst and hope for the best.

MR. EMBASSADOR
Good answer.

MRS. PRESIDENT
I have one question. I wonder if you’ve though of this: We give jobs to this people but who’s gonna buy this washing machines and airconditions. Filipino people don’t spend their money. They live for the future. What I really mean is that, to make this scheme of yours effective, we must have the support of the people. How do we suppose to get the support of the people or what Mrs. Gonzaga told me: How do we turn this country into a consumer driven country?

FRANCIS
(thoughful)
Well Mrs. President, advertisement. We ask them, are we just gonna be the shadow of the past? Of our heroic ancestors like Dr. Jose Rizal, Apolinario Mabini, Andres Bonifacio and all those other hero. We tell them no. Then we tell them, if they want to be a hero, they have to invest not for money and not for profit. We educate them of how the Stock Market goes and how if they spend their money to buy our washing machines and airconditions, they are helping the economy. Plus, the get something in return with their support. It should be attractive to the people. I hope it would work.

MRS. PRESIDENT
Let’s hope so. Unless there’s another alternative which I doubt there is no other. Your idea is pretty sane I think.

FRANCIS
Thank you Mrs. President for having faith in me.

MRS. PRESIDENT
I only hope that the Philippine Stock Exchange and the business community would support me in the next election.

MRS. GONZAGA
I know they would Mrs. President. I’ll make sure of that. You just help us push this thing through and you will be a hero to the people.

MRS. PRESIDENT
Let’s hope so. I’m gonna ask the senate to approve it. I’ll personally ask them that.

MRS. GONZAGA
That would be good Mrs. President.

As time pass by, their conversation trail off from different matters and FRANCIS found himself listening to their conversation. He showed as much as possible an interested look.

FRANCIS wondered where DINDI is and he scanned the crowd.

He found her in her circle of the research team.

DINDI must have felt FRANCIS’s stare cause she glanced at him.

FRANCIS gave her a secret sign. He gave her a wink that caused DINDI to a glowing smile.

In the newspapeer reads:

The President asked senate to approve the Citezin Stock Project.

INT. SENATE - DAY

In the senate, the session is going on to study the Citezen Stock Project.

They interviewed MRS. GONZAGA. She answered their questions with FRANCIS and DINDI on her side.

In the headlines again after days have passed:

The senate approves Citezin Stock Project.

INT. CERTIFIED K STUDIO - DAY
The talk show name Certified K is featuring FRANCIS’s Citezen Stock Project. He was being interviewed by the host named Juli.
JULI
(smiling at Francis)
So you’re the guy who though up about this idea. It’s about stock market. Now when we though about stock market, people don’t understand what it is. Could you enlighten the citezin of this country how this thing goes since they are going to be buying stocks as the law required?
FRANCIS
Well, to explain it, let me give you a good example of how stock market works. For example there is a business man who wants to make a soap company. They have the capital. So they made soaps and their soap sells. Their soap sells that they are thinking of making some more soaps to sell. They’re gonna need more capital to produce more soap. For example they need a hundred pesos. What they are gonna do is sell a stock that would cost ten pesos a stock. And so those who buy their stock would be the “Stockholder”. In payment for the use of capital, after the expences of the making and marketing the soap is deducted the soap company is going to pay a certain percentage to the stock holder which is called “Dividend”. And so, everytime the company needs capital, they are just going to sell stocks. So the people don’t need to worry about their money cause their money are growing. They get something in return for their trouble. It wouldn’t be that big but to help this country’s economy, it requires sacrifices. So, if you want to help our country, buy your stocks now.
JULI
Now I understood a little bit about stock market. Cause when we mention stock market, we usually though that only rich people play that kind of game. But it really is for all the people as long as you have money...

FRANCIS just smiled as he was listening to JULI talk more. She asked more question to FRANCIS and FRANCIS answered her.

EXT. MUNICIPALITY OF MANDALUYONG - DAY

There is a long line in the Municipality of Mandaluyong.

The people are buying their stock now from the stall that the Philippine Stock Exchange representative are putting.

Police are guarding the box where they are putting the money.

The media was there and they interviewed some of the stockbuyer.

PRESS
Hi, sir, so what can you say about this Citezin Stock Project?

STOCKBUYER ONE
Well, I don’t know. They said it is the law so I’ll just buy my stock. Hoping it would do good on our economy.
STOCKBUYER TWO
I’m totally for it. It’s a good thing that our people are working hand in hand to save our country’s economy.

STOCKBUYER THREE
It’s a good thing I think. Let’s just hope that they won’t steal our money. Cause we worked for our money no matter how small.

STOCKBUYER FOUR
I hope that this would be successfull so that the country could give jobs to the unemployed.

PRESS
The people have their own opinion about this. But no matter what their opinion is they are required to buy their stocks. We could only hope that the money of the people wouldn’t be waisted. This is Stefani Bautista reporting from Mandaluyong Municipal hall.

CUT TO:

EXT. GERMANY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - DAY

The president of the Philippines arrive in the Germany International Airport. A crowd with cameras are waiting outside the airplane. The PRESIDENT hasn’t come out yet.
A filipino NEWSCASTER is talking to the camera.
NEWSCASTER
The President’s plane has arrive in Germany. She’s here in one of her states visits of rich countries where she hopes she could attract forieng investors with her 50 50 capital scheme. She is going to meet the President of Germany first and she’s gonna talk to the businessman of Germany after.

Invest not for your profit but for your country. I think the whole nation should support this idea. Give it a try. Make it a country wide campaign. Explain it to the people how it goes. From each according to it's ability, to each according to it's need. As the Marxis saying says. It's time to make a revolution. I hear someone say that the world is not black and white. I think that we should mix democracy with a some kind of communistic way. It's time to hit the people hard with this idea. Keep them busy with being a consumerism and the factory keep on producing which pays for the paycheck of the worker. I think it would be nice if the people and the businessess should work hand in hand to help the economy of the country. The people can be a hero by spending their money. The businesses can be a hero by cheapening the price of their goods and services. Idleness is the root of all evil as I say it. Keep the people busy or they get bored and they would be lead in an evil way and they are going to be doing an evil thing. The people are bore in this time and if the hand that holds the cradle would lead them in a good way and having fun in the process, then the people would be doing something good.

The second stanza said:

Tayo ba'y mga sarangula,
Na nilalaro ng himpapawid
Makakawala ba sa pagkakatali
Kapag pinutol mo ang pisi.

Which translate in english that are we like a kite in the sky, that is driven by the wind, are we really free when we cut the string. I think not. Francis thinks not too. Because he said that the string signifies the religion that is holding the population in a tight string, if we cut the string, then we would be without path and so we would be consumed by evil doing. We are going to hell. Could you imagine a lawless world? What if god didn't give us the ten commandment especially the one that said:"Thou shalt not kill"? We could just kill and nobody cares cause it's not wrong to kill. We can't live in that troublesome world. That's why we can't get away from being tied cause another would tie us and that's hell. And speaking of getting tied like a puppet on a string, Francis thinks that America is the puppeteer that is pulling the strings. Without America, there would be no police of the world. Francis wasn't just contented with industrializing his country, he though if he would industrialize those other poor countries, he would solve the problem of poverty and there would be lesseer crimes and trouble cause there is nothing that cause it. But Francis knew that he couldn't do it alone. He needs the help of America in that.

CUT TO:

BUILDING SITES

Buildings are constructed in a fast phase. They’re growing like trees in the city of Manila.

INT. UNFINISHED BUILIDING - DAY

The building is still unfinished. The FOREMAN is giving a tour of the Citezen Stock Project Research team.

Francis was one of them.

They are on the top of the building.

FRANCIS left the group and went to the edge of the building where he look down on view below. He look so blue.

The FOREMAN finished the tour of the top floor and FRANCIS was being called by his company.

FRANCIS returned to his company.

INT. CAR - DAY

FRANCIS is driving around with his Jaguar. The music is so loud.

FRANCIS POV: traffic is moderate on the opposite direction.

The park of Luneta came in view. FRANCIS saw the monument of Dr. Jose Rizal.

FRANCIS stop his car.
He gets out of his car.

The traffic enforcer see FRANCIS and he called him.

He recongnize FRANCIS face and he smiled.

TRAFFIC ENFORCER
Hey. You’re Francis.

FRANCIS
Yah. I’ll be just in a minute.

TRAFFIC ENFORCER
Okey.

FRANCIS crosses the street and went to the monument of DR. JOSE RIZAL.

He stood their for a long while thinking.

He was done watching and he went back to his car..

INT. DINDI'S APPARTMENT - NIGHT

Wearing only his boxer shorts, FRANCIS is staring down at the window.

He just finished making love with DINDI who was still in bed.

DINDI covering her nakedness with the blanket joined FRANCIS in the window.
DINDI
You seem pretty blue lately honey. What’s the matter?

FRANCIS
The world is not enough.

INT. GLORIETTA FOODCOURT - NIGHT

They are eating MONGOLIAN FOOD at the table situated in the glass wall where it offers them a view of the lights of the buildings outside.

FRANCIS
Listen. I got another idea.
DINDI put down her chopstick.

DINDI
What is that?

FRANCIS
I want to help those other poor countries in this world. I mean, there’s a lot of poor countries that needed some fine tuning. And I think with the Citezen Stock Project, we can help them.

DINDI
And how do you suppose you could do that?

FRANCIS
We need the help of America in that matter. Can you give me an appointment with the American Embassador?rs?

INT. EMBASSADOR’S OFFICE - DAY
The AMERICAN EMBASSADOR is sitting in his chair. He is serious. FRANCIS and DINDI are sitting across.

EMBASSADOR
You want us to lead the flock of this poor countries into developement?

FRANCIS
I know that America is the Police of the world and I know that it is in America’s heart to help the world, with the Citezen Stock Project, you can do it.

EMBASSADOR
Well… It’s not my decision to make. I’ll have to talk to the president. I’ll call you whatever his decision.

FRANCIS
Okey. Thank you sir for listening.

EMBASSADOR
No problem.

They shook hands.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

FRANCIS is watching CNN.

NEWSCASTER
The World bank is currently in shambles. They are now filing for bankruptsy caused by the inability of fifty percent of their debtors. Most of this debtors are the 3rd world countries. It seems that it’s become a...

The telephone rings and DINDI picks it up.

DINDI
Hello? Yes... how are you... okey, I’ll give the phone to him. Just a second.

DINDI went over to where FRANCIS was sitting. She gave phone to FRANCIS.

DINDI
(whispering)
It’s the American embassador.

FRANCIS took the phone and mute the TV.

FRANCIS
Hello...Mr. Embassador... Yes... okey... Thanks.

DINDI was watching FRANCIS talking to the phone.

FRANCIS (CONT’D)
(to Dindi)
I’m going to America.

DINDI
(smiling)
Really?

FRANCIS
Yes.
INT. AIRPORT – DAY

FRANCIS and DINDI are standing face to face. They are saying their goodbyes.

DINDI
Good luck out there.

FRANCIS
Thanks, I need it.

They embrace.

EXT. AMERICAN AIRPORT - DAY

The airplane that FRANCIS and the AMERICAN EMBASSADOR are riding touchdown Washington airport.

EXT. TERMINAL - DAY

FRANCIS and the EMBASSADOR got outside the terminal where a limousine was waiting for them.

They got inside the lemousine

INT. LIMOUSINE - DAY

FRANCIS POV: FRANCIS was stairing out of the window and he was looking up at the tall buildings that are towering above him.

His mouth are gape open.
FRANCIS
(to the embassador)
I want my country to be like this.
The EMBASSADOR just smiled.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

The door of the hotel room opens and then the BELLHOP enters followed by FRANCIS and the EMBASSADOR.

EMBASSADOR
I hope this room is comfortable for you. I’ll be back to pick you up tomorrow.

FRANCIS
Thanks Mr. Embassador.

EMBASSADOR
Welcome.

The EMBASSADOR gave the BELLHOP a money and the BELLHOP left.

EMBASSADOR
I’ll call you first thing in the morning tomorrow.

FRANCIS
Okey.

The EMBASSADOR left.

FRANCIS sat on his bed.

After a while he lay down. Then he watch TV.

EXT. RESTHOUSE SOMEWHERE IN THE WOODS - DAY

Outside the rest house is Secret Service guarding the house.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

The President of the United States is talking while some other mysterious gentlemen are listening. The EMBASSADOR was present and so was FRANCIS.

PRESIDENT
It’s in America’s interest to save the world. Your idea is good and I can see that it was very effective. Your country is the good example of it. But it’s gonna cost a lot of money. Is there any way we could benefit from this?

FRANCIS
As a matter of fact Mr. President, there is. Look at the World Bank now. They’re in shambles and they are asking your country to save them. Now, most of the debtor are this poor countries who are getting poorer and poorer causing them not to be able to pay for their debt. Now, if you take world bank, that’s when you apply the Citizen Stock Project to this poor countries and given ten years time, this countries are gonna be able to pay for their depts. And you can forget those trillions of dollars you owe to them.

The PRESIDENT was listening intently and he was interested with what he was hearing.

He nods an approving nod.

In the news the next month:

America is taking over the world bank.

Another next month has passed.

America is saving the world’s poor countries from bankruptsy by applying the Citizen Stock Project.

INT. TOP OF THE BUILDING - NIGHT

At the top of the building is a Bar where the executive of the Citizen Stock Project Main building hangout.

FRANCIS is there that night and he is in the bar waiting for his drink.

The bar tender gave him his drink and FRANCIS joined the crowd. Saying hi, hello. Shaking hands here, shaking hands there.

He went out to the open where there was a swimming pool and some beautiful supermodel girls are sitting on the sofa sipping their drinks.

FRANCIS said hi to them and talk for a while.

FRANCIS left them where they are sitting and went to the edge of the building and lean on the railing.

The music starts to play: “Under the milkyway” by the Church.

One of the supermodel joined FRANCIS on the side and they talk.

The end.

Credits musics: “Naroon” by Yano and “Grow old along with me” by May Chopin Carpenter.

Francis went to the American Embassador whom he met at a party sponsored by the Philippine Stock Exchange. He told the embassador about his idea and the embassador listened. Then the embassador told the President of the United States and the President asked Francis to go to America where he would tell the President about his plan. Of course his plan takes a lot of work and he needed money to do that. America as Francis think is, is that no fool, they don't just help for nothing. He don't stereotype America as what he sees in the Philippines. He met a lot of America and they are very nice people. Francis expienced a different kind of America when he went to the Embassy as he applied for tourist and Emmigration. No, they are not nice. They didn't just get where they are nice by being nice. Like in the Philippines, not all are ignorant and some he sees the american in the embassy. Wise and cruel and strong. He can also see that in the movies. America indeed is the best country in the world. So, thinking that America is not made up of fools, Francis though of something that would interest America in the movie and also in reality. Francis knew that his country has big dept and so does other third world country and they can't pay for their dept. Not even the interest. And so, as Francis who got his information from reading newspaper is that this countries can't pay for even the interest and that the only way for this countries is that the World bank let them borrow more money just for them to pay for their interest. Francis also knew that America has depts amounting to trillions of dollars. And what would interest America if they could get rid of their dept? So, Francis though of a scheme in that America would take over the World bank cause in the movie, the World bank went bankrupt and then they asked help from America. Francis went to America and met the President. There he told the American President about his scheme. He calls it "Devide and conquer." America was to take over the World bank and then America would go and save those third world country into an industrialized country by applying the Cetizen Stock Project. The scheme that Francis used in the Philippines. And so the movie goes ten years later and Francis set up his base in New York and ten years later, the third world counties can pay for their dept now cause they become industrialized. America is the new owner of the World bank and so they don't need to pay for their dept anymore. Francis though that his scheme would save the world and if, by reading at the script you don't think so, it was just a simple idea that if it would be implemented, it needs the help of the people and with the businesses to create a consumer driven country.

Tayo ba’y mga sunod sunoran
Sa takda ng ating kapalaran
Kaya ba nating paglabanan
Ang sumpa ng ating kapalaran

The last line of the song said are we just gonna follow, what our destiny? Are we strong enough to figth the curse of history? As a Filipino, it hits big cause have been mistreated and colonized by foreign countries. Are we gonna be a slaves and servant for the rest of our lives? Of our being enslave for more than three centuries? Will now, we have an idea that is burning from my head and heart, will we just let it die among our sorrows? Are we strong enough to face the challenge in order to make some change and distributing the riches not just for the few but for the majority who dares to try? The Philippines and the world needs another revolution where if we succeed, people would live for today, for holiday , for pleasure and for happiness. Instead of living for the future and misery and depression. It’s time to make a change and the key is in everyone’s hand. I am calling you to make a change so that we be happy one’s again like when we were twelve years old. Just one key unlocks them both, it’s there in you’re trembling hands. What I’m saying here is nothing but a song, that feels the way we die.


Remote control

Remote control. I do nothing all day but fiddle the remote control. Should I be happy that I have a remote control TV? That I can just sit and change the channel all the time and easily? It seems like things are easier but by body still find ways to complain. I remember having no remote control and I watch television. It seems it’s better that way without the remote and the cable cause I could just be contented to watch one channel. I don’t change the channel much cause it would be very tiring. I would be too lazy to get up from my good position in the sofa just to check the other channel. With cable and remote, now I hate it that I don’t like staying one channel at a time cause I would be scared to miss any good show on the cable TV. So I change channel all the time. Instead of not missing a good show, I miss all the good show cause I wouldn’t know what to look anymore because there’s so many nice show that is showing. What I want is contentment and when I have no remote control, I’m not contented. I got to have a remote control so that I’d be contented. Then my dad bought a remote control TV with cable and now, I’m not contented still. It sucks. Life sucks. Why wouldn’t I be contented? Is it greed? Am I greedy? Did god give us remote control so that we wont be contented? Or is it just our human nature not to be contented? God wouldn’t give us more than we want cause we never get contented. We long for things and when we get it, we won’t be contented. We ask for more. God must hate us. Driven by this desire to see what’s going on on the other chanels made me change the chanel every minute. I’m so greedy that god punished me with not being contented. Could it be? I guess what they said was true, that you don’t know what you want till you’re forty and when you do, you’re too old to use it. I wouldn’t want that to happen to me. So anyway, I hated changing chanels all the time that I’m feedup of watching TV. “I’ve eaten the sun till my tongue has been burned of the taste”. Sang Layne Staley of Alice in Chains from their song “ Down in the hole”. I quit watching TV. Then I stayed in my Aunt in Cavity and there is no cable there. They have TV, but only the local channel. Then I watch TV again and it sucks cause it don’t have HBO and I have nothing to do but watch TV cause there is nothing to do there but stay home. I have no friends cause I don’t go out at all cause I’m shy about my accented tagalog. There I realize how nice having a cable and a remote control would be. But I can’t go home cause I have big trouble there and I escape here in Manila. Anyway, I went back home when the smoke was gone and the air is all clear and I have my remote and TV again. And then I’m not contented again and I hate it. Is it greed? Whay am I so greedy? What I found out was that it was expectation. I like the feeling of expecting to see something better than what I am watching now.

Expectation. I’ve given up expectation long ago. Too much expectation and they rarely attain it. I expect to find something good at the other channel. Could this be life. Are we really just alone? So I stopped expecting and it made me happy. Then again I stopped expecting cause maybe it’d make me happy. And it did. It’s my new found glory. My glory box. I go sieze the day and have a smile on my face. I just do what I wanna do and I do my best with what I do and have no expectation. At some point, I was satisfied with how I live my life and though it was pefect. But then it gets boring and like the remote control. And so I took my time to enjoy what I worked hard for. It was a solitary life with the movies as the machine that makes me feel. I watch movie and then I get inside the movie and I’m taken to some other world where the leading lady was my girl and we are living the life. Then I get to the point where I don’t like the movie to end because I don’t want the life that I live in the other world to end. And then you get out of the movie house wanting more and a little high. Wow, I gotta live in America is what I always say when I’m finished watching those movies.
So, I was in this party and we finished eating and I joined my cousins who are older than me who are drinking with their friends. They asked me to have a shot and I said no. I’m clean living my friend I said ( I said it proudly and with pride. How I wish I’d find that natural high again.) . One of my cousine’s barkada asked me: “Why wouldn’t you dirt you’re body when you can’t bring it with you when you die?”.But as strong as I stone, I didn’t listen to him. I just smiled. But what he said stick to my head like peanut butter on my brain. And so, Like a bonsai that grows on the rock

Then, Igot into rock music. Funny how I got into it cause I was in this record store and I saw this tape with the cover of a baby swimming in a pool trying to reach for a dollar bill. It was the cover of Nirvana. It made a lot of impression on me. I think I’ve seen it somewhere in the TV about baptizing a baby by letting them swim in the pool. So, the name also intregue me. I look it up at the dictionary and saw the meaning. It was so meaningful to me. The state of blissful oblivion. The annihilation of the soul. So anyway, it was a coincidence cause I was watching this movie and it was the band Nirvana. I didn’t know it that time but I learned later that it was “Smells like teen spirit.” It was the best MTV I’ve ever seen. It got cheerleaders dancing in the basketball court and there are audience of different type. It was really a scene of highschool life. A really teen song. Then there was this man who offered a food to a bald man and the bald man beat the shit out of the guy. It was so funny. I’m not really sure if it was from the “Smell’s like teen spirit” video cause there was this other video of Weird Alyankiviev intitled “Smells like nirvana.” The ending of that song was really funny cause he Weird caughed after screaming his guts out after singing that last line Sianara. It was very funny. Anyway, the best was smell’s like teen spirit video. Right in the end was a child sitting alone on a chair with the black board on the back where he wrote:”I promise to be good.” I have experience like that when I was in highschool too. I though up of a video from “Jeremy” of Pearljam and in the end when Eddie Veder sang “Trying to erase it, trying to erase it, from the black board.” I made a mental picture of that kid erasing what he said by rewinding the kid writing I promise to be good. Wouldn’t it be cool? And also, when it sang “Daddy didn’t give attention, to the fact that, mommy didn’t care.” I though up of what the video when he sang that too. It would be a picture of a guy climbing high on a tall billboard where it has an advertisement of got milk. And then he reaches on top and he wave his hands high on the air like screaming success for reaching the top. Isn’t that cool? Anyway, I like Nirvana cause their music is so energetic, you could loose yourself hearing the song and it made everything alright. Like it’s okey to die too. “I’m not afraid to die you fuckers and I’m higher than you” hahaha. That’s what I felt when I listen to Nirvana. Sadly, Kurt Cobain killed himself leaving his fans in distraught including me. I felt like I lost someone whom I can depend on. I was ronin when Kurt died. A warrior without a leader. A rebel without a cause. There was a song that sang, “You only get what you give.” And Kurt give us a way out in terms of suicide and he did. That song must be true. Anyway, Nirvana was also enlightening, it gave me a new way to look up to life. It’s like I’m not scared anymore. I was once a scared little boy and now I’m not. “Look on the bright side there’s suicide.” Sang Kurt Cobain. So I read about Buddhism cause I like Nirvana and I like to know more about nirvana with guilt on my heart cause I’m a full blooded Christian. I heard someone say that read atleast two religion books other than your own cause it would educate you that most religion are about god. One higher being that you would meet in heaven if you’re doing good. Could you imagine a world without religion? The world would be full of dead bodies cause killing wouldn’t be a sin and so man would just kill without a string tied to them. It’s as important as the decomposition element. What would a world be without decomposition? A world full of dead bodies is what it is. Like the remote control, it’s a world without law and religion. I feel lost. I don’t know what I want anymore. All I know is that I want some more. But it could be beneficial, like making things easy for us. But we shouldn’t abuse it. Like leaving in this world, we should not forget about god cause that’s the only thing that’s holding us people from going apart. It molds us into something that would be leavable for us. Giving us security; letting us sleep at night. That’s why, no matter what I learned from this world like wanting to die and looking at the brightside there’s suicide, I never left my faith. It’s bringing the people into one happy family. And god is the father, and Mary was the mother. Jesus was the son, the children. Us young folks. Because Jesus sacrificed himself, we must sacrifice too. Like not hating our parents no matter how cruel they’ve been to us. We must sacrifice our desire just to be good. That wouldn’t be asking a lot since we are lucky that we can eat three times and day and we have clothes. We’re not living on the dampster and eating garbage. I think that’s what we are, Jesus. One of our sacrifices would be studying our lessons. So that we would graduate and we would give our future family a bright future. All because we sacrifice some play time in order to study, to do our chores. I thinks that’s what it is. It’s only in my opinion anyway. That’s how I look at it. So anyway, going back to Nirvana, I like them a lot. I think they’re perfect. The way they live their lives was good. They encounter problems and they emerge victorious and they express it in their song and their song was good, it’s very liberating. It got the attention of the neutral like me. In some way, although I was still young, I can relate to their song. I got friends. I don’t have problem with people. I can blend well with them. My parent love me. I don’t hate my parents. Although it’s a little scary at times cause I’m very eccentric, I don’t care what people think sometimes. Maybe they just keep quiet. Hahaha.

Anyway, I like everything about Nirvana. But don’t put your life into the hands on a rock n roll band cause I am regretting things in my life. I have regrets but rock n roll lives forever. Hahaha. So I got into smoking cause Kurt smoke. I think it’s cool. I got into drinking too. It was at that point where I living clean was on it’s toll. I found myself bored and wanting some changes.

I will rest myself from where I’m shield
I go out my way and improve myself

Sang Kurt Cobain. So I rest myself from where I’m shield a got into smoking and drinking too. It came out with a price. I got into drugs too and then I didn’t get to America cause I got paranoid and thinks that everyone hates me and it made me sad to the point of not wanting to live. So I committed suicide. I didn’t die cause I didn’t slit the viens only the skin as I found out later. But there’s a lot of blood and I though I’m going to die. Then, thirty minutes passed and I’m still alive and I was scared that it would get worse so I decided to get some help. Then I got my medical exam and they saw my slit and told me that I am not good to be in America. That’s the price. But I have no regrets. What happened happened and I try to move on. Wandering in Manila my life means nothing, going from one school to another and not graduating. There in Manila, I got no car. It’s very far from the city. If you wonder why I’m in Manila, it’s because I’m paranoid that everyone hates me and so I’m scare to go back home. I lived with my Uncle who was very nice to me. So, my life was without a remote control. Everytime I want to change the channel, I go up and go to the switch and watch what’s showing. What remote took away from me is that I’ve become indecisive. I can’t decide anymore. I’ve read in the Buddhism book that there is no dual path, only a single path. So even though you have a remote, you’re just gonna have to decide what you want to see right away. In this time, you have to be ahead of the game. You have to know what you want. The secret to a good life, is knowing when you’re through. But the remote control is like drugs, as you kept on using it, your dosage becames higher and higher until you can’t be satisfied no more and the body needs to rest like an engine. Or it well overheat and then you’re lucky if your engine is gasoline cause you can just put some water. But if it’s a diesel, your dead cause it will complicate and your engine breaks down and it will kept on being a problem. The solution would be is to change your engine. And it cost a lot. You must be wondering why I mentioned engine ha. It’s just a metaphor of what you are. Wether you are beyond saving or not. Keep away from being sinful and and don’t abuse things cause if you’re abusive, then you are a diesel. If you’re not, then you’re a gasoline. Those gasoline type of people are the one’s that are happy. They are the one’s who enjoy life cause they don’t expect a lot from life. They’re just contented with what they have. Take life as it is. They grow up and face what life has to offer them and they don’t complain. To them, it’s a challenge. They study when they are at school, attend prom when it’s prom night, they don’t have much but they’re happy as they struggle with the day to day routine. Me? I expect so much in life no matter what I said that I don’t expect so much. I want more than life could give me. I want to be rich, I want a beautiful wife, I want a lot. I don’t get contented. I’m not contented with my life. This pain that I felt drives me to write page by page cause I can’t stay put. Writing for me is a way of channeling this energy that I have of wanting so much. Sometimes I stray but the point of writing is writing. I just write whatever comes to my mind. So, that’s how I put it. A life that’s very abusive is Diesel and a life that is not is Gasoline. That’s the best logic I could teach you. Maybe I’m wrong. And if you think so, you can tell me. I don’t give a fuck. Just enlighten me cause that would be nice for a changel. I kept reading books and watching TV and they don’t give shit to me. I have to find everything on my own. So I said to myself, fuck those movies and books that don’t give shit to me. I’m gonna write my own book or make my own movie and I’m gonna make a difference. Like the movie “The Crow”. When I watched it, I though to myself, I’m gonna write the best book in the whole world. Making movie came later in my life when I find it hard to finish my novels. I started making up movies in my mind; the one’s I’m trying to write, and it came easy. So I said, fuck writing books. I’m gonna make a movie. So I studied directing and script writing cause I want to write and direct my movie so I would have a hundred percent creative control. It’s gonna be as cool as the crow. It’s like this skateboard company that I like so much because of the name of the company is so cool. The owner, who is Ed Templeton. Who is a very cool individual though of naming his company something mean and at the same time mild. So He named his company “Toymachine.” Cool huh. It’s like a combination of meaness and kindness. Very colorful name as I put it. Since I like rock n roll so much, I also like to be in a band. A three piece band like Nirvana. I can play the guitar while at the same time sing. Cool huh. Anyway, I like to name my band in the same caliber as Toymachine. Unfortuanately, I can’t find any. I envy Ed for coming up with the cool name for his company. I wished I found that name first. Ed paints too. His paintings are so cool. It makes Picasso so far behind. I tell you man, Ed is the Picasso of the twentieth century. If I have money, I’ll buy his painting and put it in the walls of my house. Then, I will proudly show it to my friends and say, he’s a skater like me. Wouldn’t it be cool? I hope nobody realized the coolness of his painting so that when I have money, I could buy his paintings cheap. I’m so bad. Anyway, I’d like my movie to be as cool as Toymachine and the Crow. I already though of a movie that would be as cool like that. It’s about this who went back to his hometown somewhere in South America because his dad is dying. And then his father gave him a pendant which makes someone strong and bulletproof. Like Samson. But his father was afraid to use it and so he gave it to his son so that his son would free his people from slavery of the rich man who owns a gold mine. His name is Franko. Then, this guy who’s name is Cardiel used the pendant’s power to fight Franko’s man. Then, Cardiel visited the secret glade which he used to come when he was young and he met the sister of Franko who’s name is Betty. They became friends and become lovers. Then Franko found out that his sister was sleeping with his enemy. He asked his sister to find out what’s Cardiel’s secret. Then, one night when Cardiel and Betty are making love, Betty asked what Cardiels secret of his strength and invinsibility. Cardiel told her and so Franko found out his secret and he asked his sister to get Cardiel’s pendant. Franko then attacked Cardiel who lost his power and he imprisoned Cardiel and tortured him and made him suffer. Then, Cardiel remembered what his father said to him when he was given the pendant. That the pendant was made out of the suffering of the people. Not from an easy way. So, Cardiel, one day challenged Franko for a duel. Franko, having the pendant on him agreed. Then they are at the plaza and Cardiel was given a gun. They waited till the clock of the church to turn twelve and that’s when they would pull their gun. They pulled their guns when the clock hits twelve and then Franko fell with confusion on his head. Cardiel was hit but he just fell down and when he got up, he wasn’t bleeding. Then, the people, with whatever weapon they could find fought Franko’s man who are caught by surprise. The people in the end got out of slavery and they are free from Franko’s tyranny. What do you think of my story? Is it good? I think I strayed again. Where were we? Ah, we’re in the high dosage. I have a high dosage of fun. As Alice Cooper sang” Sometimes I drink more than I need. Until the TV’s dead and gone. That’s the complication of the remote control. I don’t want the fun to stop. I want to have fun everyday. That’s why I don’t study cause it’s not fun with me. I wish I’m like those kids who think that studying is fun. Who, anyway likes to study. I bit everyone hates to study. Well, some of the students are afraid to ignore their studies. Me? I’m not. It’s because I don’t have my parents here. They’re in the States working so hard, working overtime just to put food on our table and to put us in good schools so that we could have a bright future. Having no parents is like a remote control too. I’m not scared of anyone cause my parents are not here to scold me. My grandma only tells me to study but they don’t scare me. I just ignore them and they can’t discipline me cause I fight back. So, I only like to have and no one can stop me. I’m like the TV with a remote control, I don’t know what I want. I’ve eaten the sun till my tongue has been burned with the taste. Now, even fun is not fun anymore and what more? I’m a master of none. Jack of all trade. My future is so dark. I wasted my parents money and my time. I think I’m gonna suffer when I grow old. Cause fun is no longer fun anymore, I drink more than I need. Until the TV’s dead and gone. I don’t want the night to be over. Infact, I don’t want to go home cause as you know, I don’t expect anymore. And going home makes me feel so lonely cause there’s no one waiting for me there. At home is where I realize how lonely I am. No expectations catch up to me. My life has no grip. And you need a grip to get on with this life. In my case, I have no love and it’s the grip that I want to have. I want to settle down, come home to a family after work. That’s life to me. And when everybody loves me, I’m gonna be just as happy as I can be. Hehehe. I’ve been lonely so much that if I ever find the love that I want, it’s gonna be a very happy life. I’ll make my woman feel my love. Anyway, I’m fucked. I’m a little bit enlighted. I’m worse at what I do best and for this gift I feel blessed. But no matter how far or how deep I’ve dig into life, I always fuck up. Maybe that’s why they say, if you want your self to be straight, be krooked. I am lost but look what I’ve found. So, as life goes on, you go up and down, and it’s not how many times you fall, it’s how you get back. I get back a lot stronger and with new lessons learned. Wish me luck. I’m not like them, but I can pretend. The sun is gone but I have a light. What that lyric is trying to say and in my part was that I’m just a watcher of this world. I go to the park and watch people. I like watching people, little kids, babies. Even old folks. I like wondering how their life are. How they have fun and how they get by day by day. And as I watch and watch, I forgot to live my own life. My life has no direction. I go from one course to another and can’t get past one year and I’m shifting course. I guess I focused too much on minor things. And the Major things I take foregranted. My mind can’t comprehend the lessons of a typical knowledge. I like to think deep into things and I think it’s poisoning my mind that I can’t understand the simple things. Like a remote control, thinking about things in this world that doesn’t matter much to people but it matters to me and that it made things clear to me. I seemed to think that life and everything in this world is following a logical stuff. And those lessons that school teaches don’t seem logical to me so I can’t understand it. And knowing what I know don’t pay for my bills and put food on the table if I have to live on my own ( I’m not planning on depending on my parents for the rest of my life.). But my mind works in a different way which is a drug if I try to understand those mathematical equations and all that shit. It’s remote control once again. This time, I’ve polluted my mind with logical reasons that disabled me academically. So now, I’m writing so that I could live. As the song from Blind Melon says, all I can do is pour a drink or two, and speack my point of view but it’s not sane, it’s not sane. I really think it’s not sane cause I was worried that knowledge is the apple that the snake in the garden of eden had seduced Eve. I never opened myself this way, life is ours we live it our way. All I hope for that if you ever find knowledge in what I’m writing, I hope that you would use it the right way. Use it for the good. Be good for the sake of being good. Not bad cause what you sow is what you reap. And sometime words have two meanings. So if you have a problem then you are doing good, then you have nothing to worry about. Thinking more deeper, why did this happen to me? What have I done wrong? I guess you should just be strong to your conviction and don’t let people tell you otherwise. Life is ours we live it our way. All this words I don’t just say, and nothing else matter. My motto is, I do what I want and I do my best with what I do and I have no expectation. It just needs a little work. Just do your best and god will take care of the rest. I guess that’s what the song One is all about. I heard a lot of song entitled one. I don’t understand. One of my favorite one song was the song sang by U2. One could be just that you should just stay straight. As the Buddhist say, there is no duality, only singularity. Or we could just be one. We are one. And if everyone of us will do good as one, then this world would become a better place to live in. We’re one, but we’re not the same will we, hurt each other and we do it again. You said, love is the temple, love the higher love, love is the temple, love the higher love. You ask me to enter, but then you made me crawl. And I can’t be holding on to what you got, when all you got is hurt. There is the one, which they mean the saviour or something. And there is one where we are one. I think we need the one to make us all one. One plus one equals one. Hahaha. Where’s the logic in that? Never care for what they say, never care for what they do, but I know. And nothing else matter. Kids, don’t try this at home, do it at school. I’m just saying what I thinks. If you don’t agree, I’d very much like to hear your reasons. I’m an open minded person. I accept critisism. Going back to remote control. Well, we like remote control cause we just like to lay on the sofa and push the bottom and you can have access to all the channel. What a good thing. Is it free? All I know about life is that nothing’s free. Life says to us: “Don’t take it bad, don’t worry about it, you’re a friend of mine and there’s no way around. Sometimes you get there early sometimes you get there late, and even if you have a chance, you’ll never, never know the game.” It’s from a song by Duncan Shiek the “Little hands.” I brought that up to you cause it gives us a picture about life. We wanted so much to be happy but life only gives us little. Like eating Mc Donalds. You see their burgers? They are so small unlike what you see in their commercials. That’s life. What we see in life is what we see in TV. And it blinded us from the real fact that life sucks. Nothing comes for free. Nothing could give us the bliss that we expect. That’s why I don’t expect so much of life cause I expect so much and rarely attains it. Keep on dreaming boy cause when you stop dreaming you starts to die. It’s an advise I like to give you. Never lose hope. Expect the worst, hope for the best. That’s just so that you wouldn’t lose hope. What if we lose hope? Then we would stop moving and we wouldn’t be functional anymore. Our world would be full of misery more that what we have now. You ever hear that word saying, money is what turns the world. So thus happiness. We work cause we want to be happy. We search for meaning of life and love cause we want to be happy. We gotta have passion so that we don’t grow old early. Live you’re life. Keep on rockin on the real world. Fiddle with the remote control, it may have taken something from you but it helped you get on with your life day by day.
What is wrong with me. What is what I need. What do I think I think. Anyway maybe there’s still hope. Good things come for those who wait. And what we see in TV? We take what’s positive and we scratch the negative. Maybe god has been good to you in that you don’t complain about remote control. But life hasn’t been good to me so I complain. Although I don’t expect much, but I didn’t lose my spirit to look for the love and life that I want. It keeps me going day by day.


The Island

One time, I rented this movie and it’s the best movie that I’ve seen. I can’t remember the title so I’ll just call it “The Island” cause the movie is about the people of the Island. This movie is very significant for me because it painted the picture of human living. A human living that ended in tragedy and hope. There was this Island, don’t ask the name cause I forgot the name either. It was a small island where there are two tribes living there. The first tribe is the rich tribe who controlled the food of the inhabitants of the Island. They are the rich tribe. And there is this other tribe that was poor. They depend on the rich tribe because the rich tribe is the source of their food. The king of the rich tribe has a beautiful daughter who is the secret lover of a common man in the poor tribe. The girl got pregnant and then the King of the rich tribe found out about this and he was very angry that he cut off the supply of food of the poor tribe. The king imprisoned his daughter so that she can’t see her lover again. Because the food supply of the poor tribe was cut off, their leader beg the king of the rich tribe to forgive them and let them eat. In the vanity of the king cause he can’t accept that his daughter had fallen inlove with a common man and from the poor tribe he asked them to build him a tower that is so high that would reach the gods in the heaven. The poor man have no choice but to give in to the king’s desire so that they would be forgiven and can eat again. The poor tribe started building the tower from the trees of the island until there was nothing but one tree that was left of the island. That one tree was the tree where the princess and common man had curve their names inside the heart. The princess lover beg the people to spare the one tree that was left but the people wouldn’t listen to him. They cut that one tree left and used it to constract the tower. When the tower was finished, they showed the tower to the king and the king is still not contented and he still didn’t forgive the tribe. The people of the poor tribe are so disappointed but they can’t do anything about it. Then, their was a iceberg that drifted to the sea and the people saw this and they though that this was heaven sent cause they live in the tropical climate and that there is no snow in there. They though it was heaven and so they swam the sea and climb the iceberg. They wave goodbye to the princess lover who didn’t believe that it was heaven and didn’t swim to the iceberg. As the iceberg drifted off, with the people of the island in it, the princess lover went to the cage where the princess was imprisoned and set her free. The girl who is so pale and pregnant with their baby went with the common man to the other side of the island where a hermit live and who have invented a boat that would float in the water. So, filling the boat with supply of food and water, the common man and his wife the princess sailed the see living the hermit behind in an island that has no more tree and food because the people who lived there consumed it all without the hope of tomorrow and so their fate was sealed when they swam to the iceberg and thinking it was heaven, they are are gonna drown when the iceberg melt. I though, that the iceberg is the symbol of Atlantis, the city that was so beautiful and got lost in the sea. We are all like the people of the island who though that the iceberg was heaven sent, or Atlantis. We cling to our desires like sex and drugs and alcohol and smoke cause we though it is heaven. We cling to violence cause we though it would solve the world. Like the people of the Island, we cling to development that is killing our planet. Like the vanity of the king who still can’t forgive the poor tribe, it is the symbol of our hunger for search of truth which lead us to a lot of detours and discovery that is killing our planet. Like pollution and toxic waste that we need to live in this modern world. It is like the apple of Eden. We eat the apple that was symbolized in the movie by the one last tree where the princess and her lover had curved up their heart and their name in it. It is not very bad that we can learn about the truth but when we are going to kill our planet, it is like building the tower of Babylon with the last tree that is remaining in which we need to breath and in which it’s fruit we eat to live. The king of the rich tribe is like the god that we though is good and that the poor tribe is the people. Except that it is a mistake cause he is not a god. They are like praying to a god that was an idle in the bible. We as a human must know that we are heading in the right direction. We should look at ourselves and know where we are or where we stand and say enough is enough. We should start conserving energy and regulate progress to save the planet. The optimist proclaim that we are living the best of the world; the pissimist fear this was true. When we regulate our progress, this means that we should control the progress like in the industrial corner, scientist are building robots that would do the work of man. We should say that we don’t need robots cause it will take away the work of their employees. Progress is good but we hope that it is for the better like saving the planet or giving people jobs. But still we need to regulate cause we’ve come so far already. “No more building up it is time to dissolve.” Sang Orsabal of Tears for fears. I think we should take time to enjoy what we worked hard for. It’s time to realize that we’ve come so far already that anymore progress is killing our planet. Because we could end up like the poor tribe that in their desperation and self pity, they cut off all the tree that was the cradle of their life. Cause how would we breathe if there is no tree? We should stop our self pity and be contented and know when is enough. Or we will cut off the last tree in which we could never find another tree to reproduce. Like the people in the island, we are blind. And like the song of Madseasons, when they sang that song entitled “Above” I’ve been blessed with all to see this, behind all the truth you hide. That is the truth god had mistakenly hidden on us and was found in that movie. That we are blinded by the truth; by our desire for more knowledge…by our desire to make our life more easier when we know that it is already very easy. Like the Beatles song, “All we need is love”. That should set our souls to sleep as the Tears for Fears sang in their song “Advice for the young at hearts.” If we need a light, that would be love. But even that someone is so hard to find. Well, like me, I don’t care cause it gives me something to work for. Idleness I think is the root of all evil. Atleast your life would have a journey to make, and that is in search for love. Not killing our planet or inventing something that is not pleasing god cause it just draws us away and far away from god. It’s time to look and think how far we’ve gone. We’ve gone very far and now it’s time to know when is enough. We should have a committee now that would monitor our development. Don’t fall into the sweetness of temptation in which we as the people of the island have been blinded that they don’t know what they’re doing that they destroyed the world in which they live. Like the story of Hanzel and Gretel, it’s time to let our knowledge take us home. Characterized by the hermit in the movie and that there is still hope. The princess and the common man are going to make a new start of life. The movie ended with the princess and the common man sailing away to the open see. We know that there is still a lot of island so perhaps they could make a new start there.









































Ben

It seems that as we got nearer to the port, it gets longer for us to get there. Why don’t the captain speed up so we could get there fast. I can’t wait to get home. I’m so excited and the excitement made the time slower. I’m at the railings now looking at the shore. I’m trying to guess where the shore of my town is. I can’t know. But looking at the shore gave me a feeling of nostalgia. I missed my town. It’s where I spent my childhood. I got a lot of good memories there.
“Bang bang” I heard a little kid say. I look to it’s directiona and I saw a kid in his fifth year in this world pointing his toy gun at me. I smiled at him and I pretended I got hit. The kid smiled. He said bang bang some more. I died some more. I remember when I was a kid. I used to have a wooden gun shaped like the kids gun. It was made by a man named Ben. He used to do some work in our house and me, still a little kid like this kid used to watch him work cause I don’t have nothing to do. Then, he was curving this wood into a gun and then to my surprise, he gave it to me when I it was done. It meant a lot to me cause my father wouldn’t buy a toy gun or toys for that matter. I played with that gun pretending I was a policeman. I have a lot of fun playing with that gun. Then one day, the gun got lost and I look for it everywhere and I couldn’t find it. I’ll be looking for that gun for the rest of my life. Anyway, Ben do some work for my father and one of the work that Ben did on us was the pentagon hut. It’s a bench shaped in pentagon with a roof made from nipa hut. It was made so that we had a place to sit outside the house. When it’s hot inside, we go there cause it’s cozy there. In the morning, my father would like to drink his coffee there. When it’s in the middle of the afternoon, we young one’s would like to sit there and wait for the day to be over if we are not at the beach swimming. There, bored to death, we would lay and wait for the sun to go down. We would talk jokes and laugh trying to get by the boredom. Listening to the birds chipping on the trees. The sun is merciless so that we’re stuck there with nothing to do but feel the painful feeling of no toys that we can enjoy in our childhood. We, I mean me and my friends tries to enjoy each other’s company. Then in the afternoon, the ladies with babies on their hand would talk gossips. And in the evening after dinner, if my father has visitors he would receive them at the Pentagon hut. Until we got older and we were in highschool, we still hangout at the pentagon hut. Laying there at night or in the middle of the afternoon talking about girls and sex for that matter. Expressing how we wanted to have sex or how delicious it would be to have sex. We are innocent about sex and wanted so much to try it. Nobody ever tried yet at that time. Talking about it seems the only thing we could do. And Ben was the one who build that Pentagon hut. The one that, although we don’t know it, it was a part of our life. The provincial life. It’s where we go cause it’s cool in the night and shady in the heat of the sun. It’s where my grandmother used to tell us kids stories about gost as well as fairytales. Stories that would take us to those enchanted places that would either scare us or make us happy if the ending is a happy one. It’s where I dreamed of my first crush secretly while listening to my friends talk in the late nights when we don’t want to sleep early cause there’s no classes tomorrow. It meant so much to me that Pentagon hut. I have a lot of good memories there when I was a child. Looking back, those boredoms of not having a TV and only your friends to enjoy it’s gives me a sintemental value. That’s why

Ben, as a person is special to me. He is like a father to me. He gave me something that my father didn’t give me. A gun. And that wooden gun means so much to me cause my father don’t buy me toys. It was a gun that made me pass time enjoying as my imagination runs wild. Ben gave it to me without asking in return. He gave me something that fill the emptiness in me. And that’s what Ben did when he build that Pentagon hut. He filled the emptiness of the provincial life. Life in the province is so boring. And the only thing you enjoy was being with your neighboors. Gossiping, telling jokes, ghost stories, riddles and whatever that interest us. In our town, there wasn’t always a place to go but there’s an urgent need to belong. And the Pentagon is the place where we bored people meet, to pass the time. Ben don’t know it, and they don’t appreciate what he gave us but I see it and I like Ben as a person. He is just a simple man who didn’t want so much in life. He just like to drink. But he gave so much in life: He gave us the Pentagon hut. He also got a very beautiful wife. Magdalena. She was a very beautiful woman but has a very bad reputation in our town. She was a Japayuki. She dances in Japan for a living and people thinks that if you are a dancer in Japan, you’re a whore. So, Magdalena’s boyfriend though she was whore and so he treated her like a whore. Magdalena in her anger instead married Ben who was doing a job in her parent’s house. So to get back on her bpyfriend, she took Ben for her husband which did infuriate her boyfriend. Magdalena got pregnant and didn’t go back to Japan. They live off of Ben’s meager income for doing carpenter work. Ben was a drunkard and he was a joke in the town. I don’t know if they hate him but they make fun of him. And they probably, if they hate him , hated him more for marrying a beautiful woman. They don’t talk about it but Magdalena was very sexy and she was probably the fantasy of all the men in town. It probably hurt their pride when they would see Ben married to a beautiful woman. They probably hate themeselve’s when they see Magdalena who still has a beautiful body after bearing a child. They hate her cause they like her to be their lover. That’s why maybe they hate Ben. Ben on the other hand was so happy to be married to Magdalena that he became a drunk even more which infuriated her. We’d see the couple fighting in the street as they walk home as Ben would try to calm his wife who is very mad at his husband. She don’t like her husband to be drunk and her husband always sneak to drink. So Ben live’s a dream and Magdalena live’s in misery as she hates her husband when he’s drunk cause she hates it that the people of the town makes fun of her husband when he’s drunk. She don’t say it but it’s obvious to me. But I know that she love’s Ben. I know it cause Ben is a different person when he’s not drunk. He’s motivated and can do anything when he really wants to. That’s the Ben that I like and respected. The Ben that curved that wooden gun and gave it to me which gave me a lot of happiness. I could never have a gun as good as that and the carpenter that builds the home of the basic unit of society; the family. The builder of Pentagon shaped house which the people pass their boring time in the province.

As most things in this world, the Pentagon Hut weathered away and Ben got older and also his wife. Their son who they named Ben followed the footstep of his father. He helped his father when his father has work and he learned the trade easy. His father can’t do much work anymore and the family was depending on Magdalena’s income selling fish in the market. Ben, the son is giving his pay to his mother so they could eat. Ben the son grow up like his father in looks and father’s hand in being a carpenter. He is also like his father silent. He don’t talk much. People think Ben, like his father as dumb because of the latter. So the pentagon hut weathered away and rotted and forgotten and was left decomposing. People don’t have time and money to rebuild it and people are contented to talk on their picket fences and kids are contented to just swim in the beach and go to the woods to pick some fruits to eat whatever the season brings them. There’s not much work for Ben the son but to do household works for those people who needed the services like fetching water, cutting weeds, and doing minor repairs in houses. Then, as Ben’s father curve that gun for no reason and gave it to me in surprise, with the scrap wood he could find, he build a Pentagon Hut in the Barangay Captain’s house. He was working there for fetching water from the well and in his free time, he gathered the scrap woods while the people are oblivious. He started building it slowly on his own. The barangay captain saw him building and he though it was a good idea and he bough some nails for Ben to use cause he saw that Ben was just nailing used nails he got from the scrap woods. The barangay captain, who’s name was Wilfredo has a daughter who was a nurse and Ben’s age. She works in America and was on vacation at that time. Her name is Maya. With nothing to do passes her time observing Ben’s work. She became fond of watching Ben’s determination as he tried to build the Pentagon Hut. Because of Ben’s silent resolution, she became fond of him even more. She wants to know more about the man that was constructing something that she though was a hard task. She didn’t know that Ben was a carpenter. First, they didn’t talk at each other and Ben would just smile to her when she comes to watch him work. Then one day, Maya spoke to him.
“What are you building?” Asked Maya.
“A hut.” Replied Ben.
“What for?”
“So that we can have a place to hangout that is cool.”
“Ah. Did my father asked you to build it?”
“No.”
“Then why did you build it?”
“I have nothing to do.”
“Okey.” Said Maya.
Ben continued his work and Maya keep on watching Ben work.

So Ben kept on working the Pentagon hut slowly cause he only works when his chore is done. The hut already had a roof but it has holes in it. Ben knew that it is a big problem cause it needs repatching from new nipa leaves. There ain’t no use worrying cause he still have a big job to do so he ignore the problem and continued on the little things that needed to be done. It took Ben a long time to fix it and Maya, with nothing to do would watch Ben working. They would talk sometime always Maya talking and asking. Ben would only answer if asked. He is a very shy boy. Perhaps, he got it from his father. His father was also silent. He only is talkative when he’s drunk. Perhaps, Ben was shy and silent because he is ashamed of his family. His father was a drunk and a joke of the town and his mother had a bad reputation as a lady. It must have molded Ben’s life. May found his silence and motivation in his work interesting. So she enjoyed Ben’s company although she’s the one who is talking most of the time.

One day, Maya went to the market to buy something and there she saw Ben the senior drinking with some of the town drunkard. Maya know most of the drunkard. There was Lando, Milo, Bal and Tiyoy. They are already drunk and they are making fun of Ben senior who was too drunk to know he was being made fun of. This sight infuriated Maya and she went to Ben’s rescue.

“Mang Lando, Tiyoy, Milo. Are you not ashamed of what you’re doing?” Said Maya.”You’re acting so illiterate that you are. Stop it. Or I will call my father and you’ll be in trouble.” Then Maya went to Ben and holding the drunk in the shoulder she said,” Come on Mang Ben, I’ll take you to your wife.” And May brought Ben to Magdalena’s stall in the market. Magdalena saw her husband being led by Maya to her. She went to them and she asked what’s wrong.

“Your husband is drunk and his drinking buddies are making fun of him.” Said Maya.”So I brought him to you so you could take him home.”
“I’m so sorry. Thank you for bringing him to me.” Said Magdalena.
“You’re welcome. I think you should tell your husband not to drink with those guys anymore.” said Maya.
“I always tell him not to drink with those friends of his if they are ever called one. But he never listens. He always drink with them.” Said Magdalena.”He doesn’t listen to me.”Said Magdalena. “Thanks again Maya.”And to Ben.” Come on Ben, it’s time to go home. You have are very hard headed. How many times did I tell you to stay away from Lando and his gang?”
Ben just laughed and swaying he let his wife led her to their home.
Maya just watched them walk with a kind look on her eyes. Now she know why Ben was very shy. Maybe he is ashamed of his parents.
May saw this and she went to defend Ben. She scold the men who made fun of Ben who is drunk to know that he was being made a fool. The men folks didn’t stop so Maya went looking for Ben’s wife and asked her to get his husband cause he’s drunk. Magdalena right away went to her husband and accompanied the drunk home. Magdalena thanked Maya and Maya said it’s nothing. That’s when Maya know why Ben was shy. It must be because of his father as a joke in the town.

Ben the son is working on the pentagon hut again. He was done with fetching the water from the Barangay Captain and Maya, having nothing to do watched Ben work. Maya was curious where Ben got the scrap woods cause they are all used with nails still attached to them.
“Where did you get those woods?” Asked Maya.
Ben look at Maya and he look away right away.
“I got it from the nieghboor’s house.” Said Ben.
“Did you just take it?” Maya asked.
“No, I asked them first if they use it. If they don’t, a take it.”
“Ah. You’re a really good carpenter are you? You got it from your father?
“I think so. I just like to do carpenter’s work.”
“Why are you building this?”
“So that we have a place to sit outside.”
“Did my father paid you for doing this?”
“No.”
“You should have asked for my father to pay you.”
“No. I’m okey. I have nothing to do anyway.”
“The roof needed a lot of repairs too. How are you gonna repair that? You can’t find replacements from houses on that.
“I don’t know. I’ll ask from your father I guess.”
“I’ll buy the materials.”
“You will?”
“Yes.” Said Maya smiling.”I’ll help you. It seems a good thing that we can have the hut once again. I always like to sit there when we used to have that hut.”
“Thank you.”
“How much will it cost?”
“I don’t know. I have to ask.”
“You ask and I’ll give you the money.”
“Okey.”
And Maya smiled at Ben who blushed and avoided Maya’s eye’s and continued his work removing the nails from the woods so he could use it again.

Mr. Artilyan, a ship captain is celebrating his birthday. He hosted a big party and invited his friends and nieghboors. The Barangay Captain was invited and so was Maya. Maya used to be the girlfriend of Mr. Artilyan’s son who is managing their big sugarcane plantation. Ben’s father who is good at many things was there to cook the lechon. Ben the son was there to turn the pig in the grill. The party is big. Mr. Artilyan prepared three lechon for his guest. While gutting the pigs, Ben the father is drinking with his buddies. He is already very red from drinking and almost drunk. Ben the son was silent as usual as he run errands and took turns in turning the lechon. Ben’s mother was there too. She is helping the cooking of some of the other delicacies to be served in the party. When night came, the guest are arriving and the lechon’s are cooked and they are displayed at the buffet table along with the other delicious food. The guest started eating while Ben was opening the bottles of coke. Then he distribute it to the guest on their table with another town boy his age. Ben was doing this when Maya and her father arrive. Ben saw her and cause he heard Mr. Artilyan call Maya’s father’s name.
“Wilfredo,” said Mr. Artilyan.”How are you?”
“I’m fine. How are you? Happy birthday pare,” said Wilfredo.
“Thank you pare.” And then he move his eyes on Maya.”Who is this beautiful lady you’re with? Is this Maya?” said Mr. Artilyan.”My, my, my, you’ve even become more beautiful since last I saw you. I’ve always though you would marry my son.”
“I guess they’re not for each other,” said Wilfredo.
“Well, it’s not too late,” said Mr. Artilyan.”My son Alfred is not yet married. I guess he’s waiting for you Maya.”
Maya smiled courteously.
Then, Mr. Artilyan look around as if looking for someone.”Where is that son of mine.” Mr. Artilyan said.”O, there he is.” Then he called his son. His son didn’t hear him and then Ben happened to pass by carrying a case of softdrinks with another guy. Mr. Artilyan called to Ben.”Boy.”
Ben look at Mr. Artilyan.
“Can you go to my son and tell him to come over.”
Ben did as he was told.
Maya watched Ben walk to where Alfred is and spoke to him. Alfred listened and then he look over to where Maya and her father are standing and he smile seeing Maya. He joined them.
“Alfred,” said Mr. Artilyan as his son is approaching.
“Yes dad?” and as if then he didn’t wait for his father’s response he spoke to Maya showing surprise:”Maya, how nice to see you.”
Maya smiled.”Nice to see you too.”
Alfred smiled. It is evident in the way he look at Maya that he is inlove with her.”I hear that you’re in the States.”
“You heard right,” said Maya.
“You’re still as beautiful as ever,” said Alfred.
“Well, well, I see you too had a lot to talk about,” Mr. Artilyan cut in.”Come Capitan, let’s leave the two alone. I’m sure they have a lot to talk about.” And Mr. Artilyan put his shoulder on Wilfredo’s shoulder and led him far from the two.
“So how are you?”Alfred asked.
“Fine,” said Maya.
“I missed you,” said Alfred.
Maya didn’t speack.
“I’m sorry about what happened,” Alfred said apologetically.” You know I love you. She don’t mean anything for me. You’re the one I really love.”
“How could you say that?” said Maya in a controlled fury.” What if I was that girl. You’re such an asshole. It’s over between the two of us.”
“You know I wouldn’t just stop. I don’t give up just that easily.” Said Alfred.”I always get what I want and I’m gonna have you one way or another.”
“Then you’re gonna fail,” said Maya.
“Come on. We’re perfect for each other. Our parents want us to be together. We’re meant to be together. What’s past is past. It has nothing to do with our future.”
“It has.” Said Maya.” What’s gonna stop you from doing what you’ve done a long time ago from now?”
“I can change Maya.” Said Alfred.” You know I can.”
“It’s over Alfred. I moved on.”
“You know I wont give up that easily.”
“You can try but you’ll fail.”
“Is there someone else?”
“No.”
“I know you love me. I’m not that easy to forget. I’m the man you want. I can give you the life that you want; I can give you everything. We’re right for each other. Our parents like us to be together.”
“Well, I don’t like you.”
“You’ll learn to love me again.”
“You’re dreaming.”
“Come on. I’m easy to love.”
Maya couldn’t stand it anymore. She was looking at Ben who was going from table to table giving drinks to the guest.
“Excuse me.” Said Maya.
“Where are you going?”
“I going home.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“No, I’m not hungry.”
Then Maya walk off.
Alfred watch her leave.
Maya passes Ben and Ben glance at her direction. He followed her with his eyes as she went out of the gate.

There was no one in the house cause everyone was in the party of Mr. Artilyan. Maya didn’t have a key and she don’t know where to go so she decided to wait for her father in the pentagon hut which was almost finished. There was a place to sit already and Maya sat there looking at the stars through the hole of the roof. She was already there for thirty minutes and she was getting irritated with the mosquita as they are making a feast of her. Then, she heard something and she came back to life in daze of waiting.
“Who’s there?” Maya called out. She waited for a reply. No reply. She called out again.
“Who’s there?” She waited again.
“It’s me,” came the reply.”Ben.”
“What are you doing here Ben?” Asked Maya who was relieved. She was beginning to get scare when no one replied.
Ben came out of the darkness and into the umbrella of the outside light of the house.
“I brought you some food from the party,” said Ben.” I even brought some drinks.”
“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,”Maya said.
“You must eat,” Ben said.
“I’m not hungry,” Maya said.” But you can give me some company.”
“It’s okey for you?” Ben asked.
“Yes. Come sit,” said Maya.
Ben sat down keeping a distance from Maya.
“Are you okey?” Ben asked.
“I’m feeling better now, now that you’re here,” said Maya. Then Maya look at the roof. “ I think you should fix the roof.”
“I don’t have money to buy some nipa.”
“I’ll give you money,” said Maya.” I’ll also give you money to buy some bamboos to fix the seats.”Maya added.” So that you wouldn’t have to ask for scrap woods from the nieghboor.”
“Okey.”
“It’s really nice you know that you fixed this hut. It’s a saviour. It save me from that asshole Alfred.” Said Maya.” I think it’s nice to have something to sit outside especially when it’s hot inside. We got a place to hangout.”
“Thanks.”
“How did you know to fix things?” Maya asked.
“My father is a carpenter,”Ben said.”He even help fix your house. I was helping too.”
“Then you learned to do this things by just helping?”
“I also ask my father and watch him work.”
“It’s such a very hard thing to do.”
“I get by.”
“Don’t get mad if I ask you this,”Maya paused.” But why is you’re father always drinking?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him.”
“Well, I want to ask him that. I hope you don’t end up like your father.”
“I wont.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Said Ben.
Maya smiled at Ben. She didn’t speack after that. She just look up to the sky and the stars through the hole of the roof.

The market is five minutes walk from Maya’s house and Maya accompanied by Ben are walking toward the market. A car that is very new swerve to their side. The window opened and Maya and Ben glanced at it’s direction.
“Hi Maya,” came the voice inside.
Maya recognized the voice and she smiled a weak smile. It was Alfred.
“Where are you going?” Alfred asked.
“We’re going to the market.”
“Hop in, I’ll drive you there.” Said Alfred.
“No thanks,” said Maya.
“Please, I insist.” Said Alfred.”It’s hot and you don’t want your skin to get tanned do you?”
“It’s okey,” said Maya smiling her best.
“Come on,” Alfred insisted.
Maya gave up. She sighed looking at Ben.
“Okey,” said Maya. And then she got inside the car.
Ben didn’t follow her and so she spoke through the window.
“Come on Ben,” Maya said.
“Me?” Ben said.
“Yes,” said Maya laughing. “Get inside.”
Then Ben got inside at the back of the car.
It was Ben’s first time to ride a car and he was ignorant of what it looks like inside. He didn’t move inside afraid that he might break something. With his eyes doing the work, he look around.
“What are you going to do in the market?” Alfred asked Maya.
“We’re going to buy some materials for the Pentagon hut.”
“You’re building a pentagon hut in your house?”
“Yes. Ben was kind enough to fix it,” said Maya.
“It’s nice, so that we would have a place outside to sit and talk when I come visit you,” said Alfred. Then more coyly.”Can I visit you?”
“Am, okey. It’s a free country.” Said Maya.
“When will that hut of yours be finished?”
“It’s already half finished. It just need a little fixing in the roof and in the seat.”
“So I can visit you tonight then?” said Alfred smiling at Maya.
“Okey.” Maya said.
“Tonight then.” Repeated Alfred.
“Okey,” said Maya.
“You can drop us off there,” Maya said pointing to the sidewalk where there are tricycle parking.
“Do you need help in transporting your materials?” Alfred asked.”You can load your materials here. No problem.”
Maya smiled.”No thanks. We’ll just charter a tricycle.”
“You need my pickup,” said Alfred.”I have nowhere to go. Let me help.”
Maya smiled and she didn’t speack as if she was thinking of something to say. After a moment, she spoke.”Well, okey,” said Maya.”Are you sure you have nowhere to go? Cause we can just use the service of a tricycle?”
“I’d be glad to help,” Alfred said smiling.

Mr. Wilfredo the baranggay captain was surprised when he saw the Pentagon hut. The roof was almost finished and the seats are almost hundred percent bamboo except for a few patches of wood. It just needed a little work and when Mr. Wilfredo saw the hut, he was surprised and after dinner, he went out and sat on the hut. Testing it’s durability.
“This is nice,” said Mr. Wilfredo to himself although Maya was sitting from a distance from him.”Why didn’t I though of this a long time ago?”
“It’s because you don’t have time dad,” said Maya.”You’re always busy.”
“O yeah,” said the Baranggay Captain.”This is nice to sit. It’s cool cause the roof is nipa.”
“That’s why I helped Ben fix this up,” said Maya.
“Ben did this by himself?” asked Mr. Wilfredo.
“Yes,” said Maya. “He fixed this out of the woods that he collected from the neighboors. It don’t look so presentable so I bough some bamboo and nipa. So, here it is, half finished.”
“This is a nice place to sit at night, it’s cool,” said Mr. Wilfredo.”Except there’s a lot of mosquito’s.”
“We can’t do anything about it.” Said Maya.
“Ben is going to be a good carpenter like his father,” said Mr. Wilfredo.
“Yah.” Said Maya.
Ben passed by carrying a pail of water in both hands which he got from the well.
“Ben,” Mr. Wilfredo called out.”This is a nice work you’ve done here.”
Ben just smiled and continued carrying the pail to the kitchen.
“Goodevening,” somebody said.
Maya and Mr. Wilfredo glance and they saw Alfred standing from a distance. He is smiling nervously.
“Alfred,” said Mr. Wilfredo.” This is a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?”
“Well,” said Alfred.”I’m here to see Maya?”
“Oh, okey, she’s here.” Said Mr. Wilfredo. “Here, come join us.”
“Thank you sir,” said Alfred.
” I’ll leave you two alone.”
And then Mr. Wilfredo left smiling.
Alfred move closer to the hut.
“Hi Maya,” He said.
“Hi,”Maya said casually.”Sit down.”
“It’s a nice evening,” said Alfred.
“Indeed,” Maya said.

Ben was standing in the door of the kitchen looking at Alfred and Maya talking in the Pentagon hut.
“She’s not for you,” somebody said from the back.
Ben turned his head to see Nina the helper.
Ben didn’t speack.
“I know you like her,” Nina continued.” I know you like her. I can see by the way you look at her when she’s not looking.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Ben.
“Come on. Don’t deny it. You like her,” said Nina.
Ben didn’t speack, instead, he left Nina from the door and went to the gate passing the Pentagon hut.

Maya was listening to Alfred talking when Ben pass them by. Ben didn’t look at them and he seem to be in a hurry. She followed him with her eyes as Ben opened the gate and disappear in the night.
“So, would you go on a date with me?” Maya heard Alfred ask.
“What?” Maya said.
“Would you go to the city with me and watch a movie or something?” Alfred said.
“I don’t know,” said Maya.
“Come on, it would be nice to have a change of scenery. I bet you haven’t been to the city since you came home. It would be good. Do some shopping.”
“I’m busy.”
“I’m sure you could find some time…like old times?”
Maya sighed. She though for a moment.
“Okey.” Said Maya resignedly.”You don’t take no for an answer do you?”
Alfred didn’t answer, he just smiled.

Mr. Wilfredo is watching Ben splitting the bamboo into pieces so that it would be used to patch the seat of the Pentagon hut. Mr. Wilfredo find it amusing watching Ben work while he give suggestion of this and that. There was a beep of the car and Mr. Wilfredo turned to it’s direction. He saw Alfred’s pickup parked infront of the gate.
The door opened and Alfred came out. He saw Mr. Wilfredo and he smiled. He entered the gate and joined Mr. Wilfredo.
“Good morning Mr. Wilfredo.” Said Alfred.
“Good morning Alfred,” said Mr. Wilfredo.
“I’m taking Maya to the city.”
“She told me this morning. She should be ready by know.” And then Mr. Wilfredo called for his daughter.”Maya?”
No answer from inside the house.
“Well, come inside the house,” said Mr. Wilfredo to Alfred.
“No thanks sir,” said Alfred.” I’ll just wait at the hut.”
“Okey,” said Mr. Wilfredo.”I’ll go see if Maya is ready.”
And then Mr. Wilfredo left Alfred alone with Ben who continued working on splitting the bamboo tree.
“Ben,” said Alfred going to the hut and sat down.
Ben look up.
“What you doing Ben?” Alfred said conjenially.
“I’m fixing that one,” said Ben pointing to the patch that has no seat yet beside where Alfred is sitting.
“You build this by your own Ben?”
“Yes,” came the reply of Ben who continued working.
“I think my father was looking for you. Go to my house if you have a time cause my father has a job for you.”
“Okey,” said Ben.
They were silent for a moment. And then, Maya dressed for the city step out of the kitchen door. She was smiling.
Alfred smiled at her.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” said Maya to Alfred.
“That’s okey, I enjoyed sitting in this hut.” Alfred said.
“Really? Ben fixed this up.”
“I know. I told him to go to the house cause my dad has a job for him to do.”
“Oh, okey.” Said Maya.”Let’s go?”
“Let’s go,” said Alfred.
“Bye Ben,” said Maya.
Ben gave Maya a weak smile and then Maya and Alfred went to the gate. Ben Watched them get inside the car. The pickup came to life and then they drove off. Ben continued splitting the bamboo tree.

It was Saturday and the mall is so full of people. So many of the mall goers are watching the movie and they came out along with Maya and Alfred as the end of the movie came to an end.
“Did you like the movie?” Alfred said.
“Yeah. I like it,” answered Maya.
“What do you want to do next?” Maya asked.
“I wanna go to the department store and go shopping, would that be fine for you?” Maya asked.
“Sure, whatever you want,” Alfred said.” We can have dinner after.”
“Okey,” said Maya.

Alfred followed Maya where ever she goes. Maya occasionally talk, sometimes only when she is spoken by Alfred. There is a coldness on Maya towards Alfred. Alfred don’t seem to care probably because he and Maya had a past that was not good. So it seemed to be normal for Maya to be so silent. They found themselves in the men’s clothes and Maya was inspecting the pants. Looking at their sizes and prices.
“Why are you looking at these pants?” Alfred said.” They’re very small for your father?
“I’m buying something for Ben cause he’s so nice, he fixed our Pentagon hut and he didn’t ask anything for it. So I though I would buy him some new clothes… I’ll buy also for my father.” Said Maya.
“Oh I see.” Said Alfred calmly.
Maya returned the pants she was holding and she picked up another one.
“Do you think this would fit Ben Alfred?” Maya asked.
“I don’t know,” said Alfred.
“I think this is big for him but I’ll just buy this one just to be sure.” Said Maya.
“Okey,” said Alfred. “Is that all?”
“No, I think I’ll buy him a t-shirt too,” Said Maya.
“T-shirt’s over there,” Alfred pointed.
They walk to the t-shirt section and Maya scrounge through the display of t-shirt. There are different kinds of colors and design and it was all good which made Maya confuse which one to buy. She picked the red one.
“What do you think?” Maya asked Alfred.
“Whatever you think is best. I think they’re all good.” Said Alfred.
“I think I like this one. I like red,” said Maya. “ Now, let’s go find something for my father.”
And Alfred followed Maya to the section where the display is for man with age. Alfred still follow where Maya is.

It was already dark when Alfred’s pickup stopped infront of the gate of Maya’s house. Alfred stopped the engine and they are silent. Alfred broke the silence.
“So, here we are,” said Alfred.
“Thanks, I enjoyed our trip,” said Maya. Then she opened the door.
“Wait,” said Alfred.
“Why…What?” said Maya.
“Don’t I get a kiss?”
“Why would I give you a kiss?” said Maya smiling.
“Come on, just a kiss. You used to kiss me.”
“It was long ago Al.fred and that was before…” Maya didn’t continue.
“Come on, just a friendly kiss?” Alfred was pleading in the look of his face.”Please… just one?”
“Okey,” said Maya.” Just a friendly kiss.”

Ben the son saw the Alfred’s pickup parked infront of Maya’s house. He was sent by his mother to look for his father cause his father didn’t come home for dinner and still hasn’t come home yet when Ben and his Mother ate their dinner without Ben the father cause they got hungry and tired of waiting. When it was already very late, Ben’s mother started to worry and she asked Ben to look for his father. Ben was heading for the market where he was sure that his father would be at the usual store where he would be drinking. Ben would have to pass Maya’s house before he gets to the Market. His mother didn’t give him money for pedicab so Ben walked and he was now approaching Alfred’s pickup. The lights was off and so Ben assumed no one is there. When he got nearer, he saw Maya and Alfred inside. They are talking and Maya sighed and then she move to give Alfred a kiss, then Alfred suddenly faced Maya and Ben saw them kissing mouth to mouth. Ben was shocked with what he’ve seen and on impulse, he quickly look away and walked faster. He don’t know how he felt but he just have to get away.

When Alfred faced Maya and kissed her in the mouth, Maya quickly tried to get away but Alfred had his hand on her head and it was impossible for her to get away from the kiss very quickly. She struggle to get away and when she got away, she slapped Alfred in the face.
“You bastard!” Said Maya furiously. “ Why did you do that?”
“I love you Maya, please forgive me,” Alfred said.
“I don’t wanna see you anymore,” and after saying it, Maya carrying her shopping bag got out of the car and slammed the door and went inside the gate and into her house.

Ben walked very fast. He didn’t know anymore where he was going; he just have to get away. Then, he was feeling a little better and he found himself in the market without knowing how he got there. He got his mind in order back and he went to the store where his father always drinks with his drinking buddies. There he found his father laughing with his usual drinking buddies. He approached his father.
“Paps,” said Ben.” Mother said go home.”
Ben’s father turned his head toward his son and he laugh even more.
“O, here’s my son,” said Ben the father.”What did you say?”
“Mother said go home,” Ben reapeted.
“Why don’t you take a seat and have a shot first,” said Ben the father and he burst into laugher. His friends burst into laugher too. “Come on, have a seat and have a shot.” Said Ben the father to his son when the laugher subsided.
“You have to go home, or mother would be angry,” said Ben the son.
“Have a shot first,” and Ben the father handed Ben the son a glass of Tanduay rum.
Ben the son sighed and he took the glass and drunk it. After he drunk it without a chaser, Ben the son coughed. The liquor was so strong. The one shot turned to two, then three then four then his father and his drinking buddy needed some more and they don’t have any money anymore and so they asked Ben the son for some money and Ben the son had some money and and was too drunk to think rationally and he bought the drinking team some more Tanduay rum to drink and Ben the son got drunk for the first time in his whole life.

When they’re done drinking cause Ben the son have already spent all his money from doing those little jobs he did in his nieghboorhood, Ben the son and father walked home swaggering. Ben the father was good at being drunk but Ben the son was not, and he can’t go another step anymore when he pass by Maya’s house. Ben the son didn’t join his father to the long walk home and instead, he opened the the gate of Maya’s house and went to the Pentagon hut and lay there. Ben was still laughing and he was calling Maya’s name as he lay in the seat. The kitchen’s light turned on and the door opened and Nina came out to see who was making the voice and she went to see to make sure she was right. She was right, it was Ben.
“Ben?” Nina called out. She went nearer and through the dark, she make out it was Ben.” What’s wrong with you Ben?”
Ben just kept on mumbling and laughing and then Nina bend over Ben calling Maya’s name suddenly grabbed Nina’s head and kissed Nina in the mouth. Nina first struggled and then she gave in and they kissed.
Maya was already asleep when she felt that she needs to go to the bathroom. She got up from bed and was surprised to see that the kitchen light was on and then she saw the kitchen door open.
“Nina?” she called. There was no reply. “Nina?” she said again. Then she went to the door and then she went out calling Nina’s name. She heard something from the Pentagon hut and she saw the rusltle of clothes and then Maya got suspicious and she moved nearer to the Pentagon hut. There she saw clear it was Nina who was putting on her clothes. Ben was half naked and Maya couln’t believe what she saw.
“Nina!” Maya said reflectexively.” What in the hell are you doing?”
“Ma’am,, sorry ma’am,” said Nina. And she run to the house leaving Maya standing in the Pentagon hut.
Maya move closer to the figure laying in the seat and she recognized Ben’s voice who was laughing.
“Ben?” Maya said.
“I love you,” Ben sang suddenly and he laughed and fell silent.
“Ben?” said Maya. “What are you doing there? Are you drunk?” Maya was suddenly furious.”You bastard! Didn’t I tell you not to be like your father?” And Maya slapped Ben in the face which brought Ben back to life.
Ben opened his eyes and he saw Maya standing over him asking him why he drunk, why he became his father and that she’ll never talk to him again and all Ben could say was that he was sorry. He kept saying sorry till he fell asleep and this time he was lost in oblivion of his drunkenness.

The clothes are all in the bag and Maya closed the bag. It was not easy to close cause it’s so full. Maya’s father who is standing in the door went to help Maya.
“Let me help you,” said Mr. Wilfredo.
“Thanks,” said Maya.
“I though your gonna be here for a month?” Mr. Wilfredo asked finally zipped the bag.
“I have to go, there’s some things I need to do back in the states.”
“Is it Alfred?”
“No.”
“Did you have a fight yesterday?”
“No dad. It doesn’t have to do with Alfred. I just have to go…it’s important.”
“Okey. Looks like I can’t stop you from going. So good luck.”
“Thanks dad.”
“Let me atleast take you to the airport.”
“No, you don’t have to. I don’t want you to see me leave. I wouldn’t want to leave.”
“Okey.”
“Okey,” said Maya letting the back stand in the floor.”Bye dad.” And Maya walk toward the door with her bag. She look at her bed and then to her drawer where there was a plastic of SM City laying there. It contained the pants and t-shirt that she bough for Ben. She fought back tears as she turned and closed the door.

Going to Maya’s house, Ben saw a trycicle parked infront of Maya’s house. Then he saw Maya herself carrying her traveling bag get inside. Ben stopped walking and he watched as the tricycle made a u turn and watched Mr. Wilfredo wave his hands. Ben continued walking as Mr. Wilfredo look into Ben’s direction. Ben saw the sad face of Mr. Wilfredo and there he know why. Maya is going back to the states. Ben started walking again and joined Mr. Wilfredo at the gate looking at the tricycle going away and away. Then, when the tricycle wont be seen anymore, Mr. Wilfredo turned to Ben.
“This house is going to be lonely again Ben. My daughter’s going back to America.” Said Mr. Wilfredo fighting back tears. “Come on Ben, let’s finish the Pentagon Hut.”
And Ben and Mr. Wilfredo went to the Pentagon hut.

Ben finished the Pentagon hut in a week and Mr. Wilfredo would sit there all the time if he has nothing to do. He would receive his guest there and he would drink there with his friends and in the night, Ben would lay there along with the young man in the town to talk about girls and sex. Ben would just stay silent thinking about Maya. He remembers how she was angry before she left and Ben would ache. He felt he had lost the woman he loved and it hurts him so. So Ben would find something to work in the nieghboors so that he could drink to get drunk and forget about Maya. But he could not. For everytime he got drunk, he would sleep in the Pentagon hut where he would remember Maya who bought the Bamboos and the nipa leaves that finished the Pentagon hut. Nina kept her distance cause Ben would not talk to her after Ben knew what she felt about him. Ben was always distant on her and she gave up after a long time.

Six month has passed since Maya left and Ben was becoming a drunk like his father. He was drunk this time early in the afternoon and he went to the Pentagon hut to sleep. He lay there for three hours asleep till the night had fallen. He was a bit conscious cause he was thinking of Maya smiling at him when she would be watching him work and he would look at her. Then a shadow shadowed his eyes and Ben opened his eyes to see who blocked the light that Mr. Wilfredo had bought and which Ben had put there. He though he was dreaming when he see’s Maya’s face looking down on him cause he was still dazed from the rum that he was drinking.
“Maya, “ said Ben to himself.”I love you.” And then Ben was asleep again. Then this time, it was the heat of the sunlight that beat in his skin and woke him to consciousness and he opened his aching eyes. He was looking again at Maya’s face that was looking down at him. This time, she was smiling.
“Maya?” Ben said getting up.
“Yes,” said Maya.
“Am I dreaming?”
“No. I’m really here.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you.”
“Thank you.”
“ You where talking in your sleep.”
Ben blushed. “Well… I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologise. I love you too.”
Ben couldn’t believe what he heard. He was speechless.
“I want you to stop drinking. I don’t want you to be like your father. This time, you’re going to be a good man. You’re not gonna drink anymore if you want to be my husband.”
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
“When the time comes, just say I do.” Maya said smiling with tears of joy in her eyes.
“But… but I’m just a carpenter.”
“You’re a handsome carpenter.”
Ben smiled and Maya smiled too. They embrace.
So Maya and Ben got married against the wishes of Maya’s father. But Mr. Wilfredo soon accepted Ben as his son-in-law after a week of begging by Maya to accept her sweet love in her house. After Maya and Ben got married, Maya went back to the United States and work. She got pregnant and went home to bear her child. While waiting for Maya to come home and for his fiancé visa to be approved, Ben still did some work in the town houses. Wether it be making the Pentagon hut or fetching water or doing some minor repairs in the houses, Ben still works cause he likes to be busy. Even though Ben receives a monthly allowance from his wife. Ben was still humble. People could still ask for help from him. He still the Ben that gave me the toy gun made out of wood and the Pentagon hut which brought nieghboors together. A work that is simple that’s why nobody do it. Ben made the difficult life of the town a little bearable. I always pray that there would be a Ben in this world as I christened another Ben from the Ben family.