The Hobbit 33%

I'll make this short, and although I originally wanted not to give spoilers, well, I kinda do but I have limited them.

First, let me state that I have a bias towards the film since I am an LOTR fan. Second, I have not the read the book... yet. Of course, you can give me a copy as a gift for the Christmas season. :)

To summarize my Hobbit experience, well, it's all about the emotions. Whenever I watch an LOTR film, even if it is in HBO, Star World, or wherever, I am always deluged with a spectrum of emotions. With The Hobbit, I am again swept away by the story telling as if I wanted to embark on my own adventure.

The musical score is really a great factor in achieving that feat. Well, there's the song when the dwarfs were lamenting about losing their homeland in the start of the film. It actually reminded me of Pippin's song in The Two Towers. And of course, there's that classic tune whenever the One Ring was focused.

Hats off also to the cast for really putting character to the characters. Galadriel looked more regal than ever; Elrond, still as wise; Gandalf, still radiating hope; Saruman, as untrustworthy as ever; and Gollum, this time, I was twice as scared and twice as confused with his bipolar tendencies. For those who have not read the book like me, characters to look forward to are Thorin Oakenshield, who embodied the king aura; and Radagast the brown, who is, well, dopey.

The film definitely did not cover the whole book, but it is OK with me. Being part of the LOTR lore, the film is not devoid of orcs, trolls, elves, goblins, giant ravens, and yes, a dragon. In a Star Wars-ish kind of way (since LOTR was shown first before The Hobbit, just like Episodes 4-6 before 1-3), I now appreciate the LOTR trilogy more as we see more of the places and people in LOTR before the War of the Ring.

There were two particular quotes that struck me, both by Gandalf. The first one reminds me to take on our own personal adventures. ‎"The world is not in your books and maps. It is out there!".  It does not necessarily mean we need to travel. I believe Gandalf was saying that we take on opportunities that come to us. Bilbo had wanderlust, as shown by his interest in maps and stories of adventures; but when faced with the reality of the dangers of taking on a quest, he initially let his fears creep in and give up on his dreams.

And alas, I promised to make it short, so I leave you with the second scene that inspired me in this film, which was the conversation between Galadriel and Gandalf.

Galadriel: Why the Hafling? 
Gandalf: Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay... small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? That's because I am afraid and it gives me courage. 

(Lessons) from Running... Lately

This was just supposed to be a Facebook status update, but I thought it'd be too long so I decided to make it a blog entry. Haven't written in a while and the year's third quarter is ending, so might as well write. I hope to make this short.

(Fight against) Depression

I started running again after ermmm, a long time. This current reawakened enthusiasm of mine to run began a month ago when I visited LB. I was going through a lot - mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I just ran with my current librarian (though I prefer to address him as Chief Hermetic Scribe) around campus. Needless to say, I succumbed to depression after that weekend due to more stress that welcomed me back to work.

It was also that week that I decided to run during nights after work, despite my busy schedule. I told myself that if I cannot find time for exercise, then I won't. Running always helped cleared my mind, and fight negative emotions. My eldest son even told me that he read somewhere that running makes someone happier. Well, he is correct.

Remembering Names
Just tonight while running around my usual route in our village, someone called out, "Sir!!!". The one who shouted was my former student in CMSC 2, Chezka/Cheska (please forgive me dear, I'm still trying to remember, but I think you are a BS DC student right?). By common courtesy I asked the usual teacher's question of "Graduate ka na?", to which she replied, "Hindi pa po. Junior pa lang po ako.".

Also last Thursday in an office lobby, someone also called me "Sir Mykmyk!". I returned the gesture by saying "Hi!", but nothing further than that since I cannot remember her name. Three years back further, in a mall before a concert, someone called me and I asked the other usual teacher's question, "Wala kang pasok?". Her reply? "Graduate na po ako..." (Yes, it was a kill me now moment).

I now regret requiring my students to wear name tags only in my last year of teaching. I should have done it earlier in my academe years. Sure I won't still remember everyone, but it would have improved my name recall.

Baby Steps

I was able to run 5 times this week, and I am just reminded of my beginnings in running when I was a college sophomore. Of course, I am not as strong as in my prime (oh, I feel old saying that), but it doesn't mean I should just throw the white towel.

I am still trying to lose weight, but this week had been not productive if weight was the only factor I had to consider. So far, I feel more mobile, but my weight hasn't dropped significantly. I believe it's still early to call this exercise futile since I have just been doing this regularly for the past week.

"Not there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday."

Batmanception

Note: This review contains spoilers. Lots of them. Also, I do not claim to be a comics nerd. Most of my pointing out of characters and plots can be referenced to the real geeks - my comics addict friends. I also recently started reading comics (mostly from the New 52 titles of DC comics), and I am not that new to the comics world thanks to my childhood watching Batman the Animated Series, X-Men, Wildcats, etc. And for characters/plots that I have not read/watched first hand, I do some research through the internet, which is not fun compared to experiencing the real deal by flipping a book or by watching the action on screen.



Reviews
As of writing this, Rises enjoys a high approval rating of 9.2/10 in IMDB, and 87% in rottentomatoes. The 2nd movie in the trilogy, The Dark Knight, has a higher rating of 94% in rottentomatoes, which incidentally, also reflects how I would rate the two films - both high scores, but the 2nd movie getting higher marks (mostly because of Joker).


I have also read a lot of reviews in the internet after watching Rises, and I have stumbled upon one review that voiced out and shared the same sentiments as mine. Check it out in this link. It's quite a long read, but it gives you an in depth analysis of the cast, the crew, and the technical work that contributed to the creation of considerably, one of the more superbly done movies in our time. Reading it made me appreciate more the movie since it gave me the insight on the individual elements leading to the totality of the film.

I agree to a lot of issues that Mr Daniel Griffith pointed out, I was almost tempted to just direct you to his review and ditch making my own. A few issues he raised were:

• the tough directorial call on Bane's voice which got mixed reviews, annoying some;
• the seemingly far-fetched comics feel of Bane's anarchy, starting at the opening scene and stretched to the end of the film;
• the great acting from Bane, Miranda Tate/Talia Al Ghul, Selina Kyle, Officer Blake, and as usual from Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, and Bruce Wayne; not to mention seeing Michael Caine (Alfred), Marion Cotillard (Miranda/Talia), Tom Hardy (Bane), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Blake) reuniting with Christopher Nolan giving us the Inception aura all over again; and
• Rises nailing the end of the Dark Knight trilogy in its entirety.

(Comics-)Feel
The film started out theatrically with Bane's team ripping a plane in mid-air. It's not over the top with unnecessary props and explosions unlike Tim Burton's Batman, but it's more comic-ish, nonetheless. I was startled with Bane's character because of the craziness of the introducing act, but not as much like Heath Ledger as Joker in the heist opening act in Rises' predecessor. 

I know you want to put some text there.

All through out the film, you feel like it's a comic book. You wanna say "that's impossible!", or "that's illogical, should have...", but in the end, you just accept it as it is because, "it's comics". Bruce Wayne arriving in the nick of time after being heavily injured; Gotham city's abandonment by the national government; and the extraordinary firepower of the gyro-powered bat cycle without any recoil as abused by Catwoman. I wanted to add Bane's anarchic revolution to that, but after the recent Arab spring, that scene may not be far from reality at all. Anyway folks, yes, it's comics.





Giving Character
In spirit of Batman tradition, the villains are as important as the dark knight. The Batman movie franchises are known because of them, I ought to remember them more than Batman himself, with the exception of Michael Keaton and of course, Christian Bale. Jack Nicholson as Joker; Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face; Jim Carrey as The Riddler; Danny DeVito as Penguin; Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman (purrrrrr!!); Arnie as Mr Freeze; Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy. I remember them all, thanks partly to the fact that they are known actors before they played their roles, but also since Batman flicks really give a lot of importance to building up the villains' characters in the lengths of their respective films. Taking the films aside, Batman is really known to have numerous known foes, whether be it in the comics or in the small screen adaptations.

Meow.

Going back to Nolan's trilogy, Rises gives importance to the first film, Batman Begins. Aside from Ledger's great portrayal, the Joker is the most popular among Batman's foes. It's even safe to assume that he really earned the title as Batman's nemesis. If you're not a geek, it's hard to identify Liam Neeson's villainous character in Begins, unlike Ledger as Joker. With the revelations in Rises, it comes a full circle, giving Nolan's Batman trilogy a solid background. The League of Shadows has come to haunt Bruce Wayne; and Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, Talia, has returned to avenge his death. In Neeson's cameo in Rises, I was almost happy to see Ra's Al Ghul alive again, maybe finally finding out some spell or fountain of youth, staying true to the comics version of the character. Of course, that false hope dissipates, but in replacement of that, they kept Talia's character well replicated of the comics version, costume, complexity, sex scene and all.


Aside from the League of Shadows' return, it's also interesting to see that they've put weight to connecting Harvey Dent in Rises. The utopia created in Gotham by the Dent Act is necessary to give contrast to the chaotic social revolution that Talia and Bane aspired for, and has temporarily achieved.


Tom Hardy as Bane was good. As I have narrated earlier, some people have had issues with Bane's voice in the film, with the vocals sometimes sounding as gurgles. I think it needs some time getting used to, but also is necessary to build up the character of the calm yet lawless maniac Bane. Fellow Inception stars Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, and Cotillard as Talia Al Ghul also played their parts well calculatedly; their acting seemed as natural reactions to the circumstances they were in as the plot progressed. And who can deny Michael Caine and Gary Oldman's performances as Alfred and Commissioner Gordon? Alfred only had little screen time, yet I think Alfred is now more loved, even if his lines were more dramatic, and void of the usual witty jokes that were present in the earlier parts of the trilogy.

Catwoman wears Prada. Deadly, razor sharp Prada.

The greatest surprise for me was Anne Hathaway as Catwoman (given Michelle Pfeiffer's extraordinary performance of the role in Batman Returns). Firstly, she had the most sensible Catwoman costume. The idea of making night vision goggles acting doubly as cat ears is a product of  great imagination. Second, I think she quite delivered the playful cat, Selina Kyle, on and off the cat suit. Lastly, though the credit goes to the story writers, the Hathaway Catwoman is a real villain/anti-hero, true to Batman tradition. That is quite a nifty trick to pull, in the same way as they have depicted Harvey Dent's fall to villain status.








Reference Spotting
For the more hardcore Batman geeks and fans, of course, it's a different level of high. 

• In Rises, there is a certain black officer Allen. This is an obvious reference to Crispus Allen in the DC universe, a black cop who dies and eventually reanimated as the Spectre (who by the way becomes a Black Lantern in the Blackest Night arc of Green Lantern, which I am reminded of in The Dark Knight Rises posters with word Rise)
• In Rises, a certain John Daggett hires Selina Kyle to steal Bruce Wayne's fingerprints and uses them to try to take over Wayne Enterprises.He also employs Bane, but was killed by the latter. He is a reference to Roland Daggett, who was a president of an industrial pharmaceutical company that is somehow responsible for the creation of Clayface (in Batman the Animated Series).
• Catwoman may be lesbian/bisexual. Yes, in some story lines, there are hints that Catwoman is not straight. Again, they are just hints, unlike a declared lesbian batwoman. And in the end of Rises, a tinge of me wanted a spin-off sequel to the trilogy. Helena Wayne, Bruce and Selina's daughter, as Huntress. But that, of course, is not movie worthy. Just look at Birds of Prey TV series, where Huntress was a part of.
• Talia Al Ghul was expected. All you had to do was connect the dots. A woman sleeping with Bruce Wayne with a dubious mark in the skin; the apparent connection of Bane to the League of Shadows; deception. Even the orient inspired dress she was wearing was very Talia in every sense. Although, I think, Talia was not seductive enough in the movie as portrayed in other media. Anyway, goodbye to Damian Wayne, Bruce and Talia's son (as Bruce chooses Selina over Talia), who would be the 5th Robin in other Batman universe.
• Speaking of Robin, I was confused with the John Blake character. There were Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson (later Nightwing), Tim Drake (later Red Robin), and Jason Todd (later Red Hood), who were all called Robin in some part of their lives, but never a John Blake. But why was he called Robin in the end? Why did he eventually seek out the bat cave (and as speculations, we can conclude that he will continue the dark knight's work)? I called my geek friend and comics collector JR (who lends me his comics), who told me that the Nolan team probably introduced John Blake as a summation of the Robin's. Just like Dick Grayson, Blake is an orphan; like Tim Drake, Blake deduced Batman's identity independently; and some claim that Jason Todd and John Blake have the same temper/attitude. The summation theory is the most sensible explanation to Blake's character so far.

Final Verdict

The Dark Knight Rises is a must watch movie in the big screen. It is not as captivating as The Dark Knight with Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger, but it sews together the earlier two movies that you can say that Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is the best film adaptation there is of the masked crusader... so far, and I think for a looooong time, if not ever. Unlike the Spiderman trilogy, or the Transformers series of films, the Dark Knight sequels has not lost its charm of the first film, and even galvanized the plot for the trilogy to become a truly complex yet coherent and sensible story.

Rediscovering Maculot

Last July 15 (Sun), I once again trekked Mt. Maculot in Cuenca, Batangas. This would be my 5th climb for the year, and the 1st time that I revisited a mountain. In my mind, I tagged Maculot as the easiest of all the mountains that I have climbed. Well, that's because the last time I trekked it, we didn't even reach the summit. We just visited the rockies area, which is, as pinoymountaineer explains, the greatest draw of Mt Maculot. This would also be the largest trekking group I've been with - we totaled 35 for that day.

In this particular climb, I learned that Mt Maculot is not an easy climb as I have programmed in my mind since my first ascent. We did a traverse, starting off at the grotto side, and ending at the rocky trail (the trail near the rockies). All in all, from the starting to the exit point, I think it took us 5 1/2 hours of walking, more or less:
45 mins from entry point to grotto;
2hrs 45 mins from grotto to summit, then straight down to the rockies camp area;
30 mins from camp area to rockies, and back to camp;

1hr and 30 mins from rockies camp area to exit point.

Of course, we spent some time resting at the grotto, at the rockies camp, and the top of the rockies. The Maculot traverse is really fitting for a day hike, since you can complete all the trekking, resting/eating, and taking pictures in 8 hrs.

Grotto

Going to the grotto is, well, challenging. Some parts of the trail had cemented steps, while some parts of the trail just had bare soil. Taking in from the story of our guide, I think the trail had all cemented steps before when it was first opened in 1979. It is not the lack of concreted trail that was challenging, but the steep ascent. There are 14 stations leading to the grotto which the religious devouts flock during the Holy Week with the grotto itself being the 15th station.

Grotto - Summit - Rockies Camp

After the grotto is a much more muddy and exciting trail. There were two parts of the trail where ropes where installed to help climbers ascend/descend. One was installed in a steep stony part, while the other in a steep muddy one. Either way, the ropes really helped a lot.

Also at this part of this trek, we got lost twice, since we went ahead of our guides. We got lost after the second rope, after following a false trail. Upon reaching the summit, we also followed a false trail going down, which just lead to camping grounds near the summit. Thankfully, we found the correct trail and trekked down to the rockies.

Photo credits to hradcanska,  http://www.flickr.com/photos/hradcanska/3426824930/ 

From the summit to the rockies, we encountered a mossy forest. Some of the foliage blocked the path, but you know you are in the right track with the cleared trail upon your feet. From the forest, you will encounter the ridge to the rockies camp. But since it is the rainy season already, this ridge is covered with tall "talahib", most of which are taller than people. I was almost half-expecting to see a pokemon and engage in a battle.

Photo credits to  http://www.serebii.net/diamondpearl/palpark.shtml 

Rockies
The camp near the rockies was a welcome sight after walking almost non-stop from the grotto for more than 2 1/2 hours. The last time I visited Maculot, I bought softdrinks from the "7-11" at this site. Too bad, they were not open that day. We stopped by at the rockies, and another disappointment as it started to rain lightly, obscuring the view of Taal lake and volcano. The farther Mt Makiling (oh, how my heart breaks) cannot be seen because of the drizzle, unlike in my first visit during the summer. Nonetheless, I still love the rockies. And a trivia (as verified by our guide), Chuck Norris shot some scenes of Delta Force in Mt Maculot. A revolving joke among us was that the rockies wasn't there until Chuck Norris pushed it off the side of the mountain.

Rocky Trail

There were just two open buko juice stands among the many that are situated at the rocky trail. This has got to do with the rainy season. In my last visit during the summer, I think only one stand was closed during that time. Even the stand at the edge of the trail where fresh coconuts were sold was unmanned in this trek. Good thing, there was a halo-halo stand just before the exit point. Another opportunity to rest and just talk about anything. The unexpected topic for that afternoon - Anabelle Rama and her ruckus at a wake.

Post Trek

At the site where the cars were parked, everyone took a bath and rested. The P15 water per large pail was fair enough, and the bathrooms were clean. Also, the people were friendly. After everyone cleaned up, we parked at the 7-11 in the town proper (a real 7-11, unlike the one at the rockies camp, haha), and walked to Ogie's for authentic Batangas lomi and goto. In my first Maculot trek, we had lomi at Lomi King in Lipa. I think, a Maculot trek is not complete without sampling real Batangas delicacies.

Passport Fiasco Part 3: End of Trilogy

What happened before: Part I, Mykmyk was asked to produce travel documents.
Part II, Mykmyk was asked to have the travel document officially translated (again).



I went at the DFA Aseana office with the translation of certain pages from my mom's visa from 1985, which I got last Thursday from the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant and Workers Affairs (Othat instructed me to have the translation faced me. Seemed that she had no problem wiUMWA) at the old DFA office. I went directly to the guard at the director's office, and was called soon after my papers were turned in, took about 5 minutes before I was called. The same lady th the translation from OUMWA. But she found another problem... My gender (they use gender, though I think it should be called sex) wasn't stated in my birth certificate.

Yes, my friends, I am neither male nor female, as reported in my certificate of live birth - another complication in the report by the foreign service. She instructed me to go to Door 4 for me to file an affidavit of undertaking that I am indeed male. "Kailangan mong mag-file within the next 5 years (sa NSO/civil registry) regarding your gender sa birth certificate mo, bago ka magrenew ng (next) passport mo." I want to be clear. I am not mad at this lady, but you have the idea of my irritation, with the new problems that crop up every time I go back to this office. I know she, and the rest of the people there are just doing their jobs, but a smile could have changed everything. There are posters inside their offices telling the employees to smile, but during the span of 3 days that I was there, only some of the guards were friendly enough to do that.

So I went there, and had my affidavit made. The affidavit was worth P300, and the translation P200. And this was my 3rd day already of going back and forth to this office. I kind of didn't want to mind about the extra payments that I needed to make, I just wanted the whole ordeal to be over. So after filing the affidavit, I went back to the lady at the director's office as per her instructions. After some minutes, she called me, and finally being cleared of the requirements, I am to start the normal process!

The normal 3-step process took me about an hour to complete. Step 1 was verification; Step 2 was payment; and Step 3 was encoding and capturing of photo. I lined up and paid the optional delivery option in between Steps 2 and 3.

So there, I'm finally finished with my passport application process. As a bonus good news, while in the FX ride home, the company that I had an interview with last Friday called again for another interview on Wednesday! I hope it's a job offer already since this is going to be my 4th interview with them. It was like I was on cloud 9 after that call. All that's left for me to do is to wait for my passport to be delivered... and actually use it, hopefully soon!

Thanks to everyone who had been praying and had been supporting me since last week. Shout outs to everyone who had been following the progress of my application process, you know who you are! :)

Passport Fiasco Part 2: The Tale of Two DFAs

For this post, let's just call DFA Aseana at Macapagal Blvd as NDFA (New DFA, although an inside CMSC joke would be Nondeterminsitic Deterministic Finite Automaton; yes I taught CMSC 141) and the DFA at Roxas Blvd as ODFA (Old DFA). 

What happened before: Mykmyk was asked to produce his non-existent passport. If there was any consolation, the guy in Door 1 Window 1 told him that if he can produce his travel documents, he can just breeze in to the window, no more reservations or lines...

And so that was what I did. Armed with my mom's passport, and the translation (for her entry to the Phils with my kuya which) she got some time ago from ODFA, I went again to the NDFA.  Before going to NDFA though, I tried to call up both offices to no avail - all lines were busy; all operators were caught up as well.

I went to Window 1 and explained my case again, but this time, I showed my mom's passport and the translation. The same man who asked me the day before then took my existing documents together with my new proofs, and told me, "maupo ka muna dyan" - a positive sign, I was hoping. I was not seated for long when my application documents now had a stapled little pink paper. "Pumunta ka sa director's office dyan lang sa paglabas, same building." Having git my spirits up a bit, I found myself at the director's office and gave my documents to the guard.


Inside the director's office were a lot of Muslim brethren, which later on I will discover were there for their hajj travel preparations. There were signs such as "Citizenship cases only", and "Invsetigation Division". Judging from the people, and the signs, this is where the special cases are brought in, cases like mine. Observing from the documents that people submitted, (most of) their docs were stapled with a little blue paper, which went to the citizenship cases. While waiting, I did not read my usual passing time book. I was keen not to miss my name being called, which was a possibility, with the noisy chatter of some of the people inside the office. Some people came and went, and it is not until 80 minutes of waiting that my name was finally called. 


I did the same explanation, and once again showed the officer who asked me my proofs. Then she asked me about the translated part of my mom's passport.
"Saan mo pinatranslate to?"
"Yung mom ko po ang nagpatranslate, sa DFA (ODFA) Legal po."
"Nasaan ang original?"
(I handed her the original, with the blue pen signature of the "executive director")
"Talaga? Bakit walang dry seal?"
"Hindi ko po alam, yung mom ko po ang nagpagawa niyan para po sana sa pag-apply ng kuya ko sa passport niya. Sa DFA Legal nga po niya pinagawa."
"Ganito, hindi ko pwedeng tanggapin 'to... Pumunta ka sa embassy nila (KSA) tapos ipatranslate mo yang passport ng mommy mo."
"Hihingi pa po ba ako ng may dry seal pag galing sa kanila?"
"Basta, tatanggapin ko yung galing sa kanila. Kung magagawa mo ngayon, ok. Kung bukas o sa ibang araw, ok din lang. Basta dumiretso ka na dito, wala nang pila."


I went out of the office and called my mom. To be honest I was once again disappointed, but I promised myself before going to NDFA that I'll be stronger, no matter how hard the circumstances would be. When I explained the conversation to my mom, she replied in a shaky voice, "Nakakainis naman sila... Eh galing naman sa kanila yun." Why would the officer not direct me to their own department's translating services? She hung up after I agreed that I should go back to DFA Legal. More than disappointed, I was a bit furious inside. It was one thing to shake me off the day before, but putting my mom's effort to waste as well, that was another thing. "A Lannister always pays his debts", that thought actually crossed my mind.


It was way past lunchtime, I rode the jeep with the MOA-LRT-MRT signage. Planning hard on my "battleplan" while riding the jeep actually made me miss getting off at MOA, where I earlier planned to eat. So I got off at LRT instead and found myself at McDonald's Buendia-Taft. As I munched to ease my groaning stomach, my plan became clearer. My battleplan was this: go to ODFA today, since if ever I really need to go to the KSA embassy in Makati, I could google it up tonight and go there after my interview (at Makati) tomorrow. 


Around 2pm, I arrived at the ODFA. Of course, fixers were here and there, before approaching the actual building, trying to fool unknowing first time goers. "Lolokohin ka pa non no?", another applicant with business at the ODFA told me while walking. "Oo nga eh, alam ko naman na fixer siya. Nakakaasar lang.", I replied. I actually encountered some stories in the net regarding these scum.

I went to the 2nd floor of the ODFA building where the Arabic to English Translation services was found. Three people were already waiting, but no officer was there. I inquired from one of the two women in line and learned from her that the officer went upstairs the 3rd floor together with their documents. It gave me relief that the officer will surely come back, so I decided to read my passing time book. Around this time, Accenture would remind me through text of my interview at Navitaire for the following day. After 40 minutes since I arrived, the 2nd floor guard called the 3 people to ascend upstairs. I asked her if the officer will come back, and she reassured me to just keep patient. Twenty minutes after that (or a full hour since I arrived), I was called to go upstairs as well


Bulwagang Blas Ople, the room was called, after I climbed the stairs and changed IDs (ODFA visitor's IDs are color-coded, and since I changed floors, I was given a different ID too). I stated my case to the person in the information desk and he called another person in the (big) room. The person in the information desk is older than the person he called, but both can be considered "dinosaurs" - as students will put it. Not so young, or old, or old enough to be considered "jurassic". Dinosaurs.


The person in the information desk asked upon hearing my story, "Eh nasan ang picture mo dito? Di ba dapat, may picture na nakadikit pag sinasama (sa parent's passport)?" The person he called, which I would later know as the translator said, "Ano ka ba? Ganun talaga dati, hindi na nilalagyan ng picture. Pero, eto... 'Child' lang ang nakalagay" Finally! A person who understood the trade back then. I explained that yes, only "child" was indicated in the dependents section in the visa, but that was enough proof given my report of birth, and the inclusive dates of my mom's exit and re-entry. It would take another full hour for the translations for me and my brother to be done and actually printed. This time, they printed it in official DFA letterhead, as to accommodate my request and earlier explanation that the officer in NDFA actually expected a dry seal!

So there it is. Some time past 4, I went back home, concluding day 2 of my passport processing calvary. I hate to say it, but yes, a part 3 is inevitable as I haven't finished the actual application process yet. Tomorrow, after my interview, I plan to go back to NDFA and submit the translation from ODFA. If they would deny that... I don't know. I really don't know. Thank you to all who had been praying and all who had been wishing me luck. Aside from the passport process, my interview would be a highlight tomorrow, since the position offered is somewhat a dream position for me since my resignation last May 31st.

I hope tomorrow would be the end of a trilogy. I don't plan to match Planet of the Apes' number of sequels, or worse, Star Wars or Harry Potter.






***********
UPDATE
***********


I went to the Royal Embassy of KSA last Friday at Makati in between my interviews. I originally planned to go back to the DFA that afternoon, but since there was another interview on 3 pm, I went to the embassy instead since it was just some minutes walk from Paseo/Ayala. And guess what they told me at the embassy? They don't do translations. They directed me to OMA instead at Fairview, Office of Muslim Affairs.

So, I'm going to try to just present the translation from ODFA - OUMWA, Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant and Workers Affairs. It's a translation from the same department, this time with a letterhead. Will they accept it this time? I've got my fingers crossed.

Passport Fiasco

Tuesday night, I had it all covered: NBI clearance, transcript of records (which my cousin tipped as great supporting document), GSIS ID (which my former colleague tipped me as a document that the Department of Foreign Affairs accepted), birth certificate, and even my TIN ID (which I will find out as a non-accepted supporting ID come Wednesday morning). Tuesday night, my mom also called, "Anak, pag tinanong yung passport mo dati, sabihin mo, wala. Ni-record lang dati sa passport ko, kayo ni kuya mo."

Of course, the complications of my story in this blog entry would revolve around that - me getting in to this country without proper documentation, a passport to be specific. All of us siblings have been born in the KSA. Of the three of us, my sister was the only one that had a passport when she traveled back to the Philippines. She applied last year for her new passport and now she got one. It's a different story for me. I just went to the DFA office this morning and I got denied, "imposibleng wala kang passport nang bata ka, hindi ka makakarating sa Pilipinas kung wala ka nun."

After the "teller" (I don't know how to call them) in Step 1 consulted someone in the same room regarding my case, she instructed me to go to the transaction officer in Window 1, Door 1. The same thing was told to me by the officer. I kept to my argument, "wala po talaga akong passport", to which he replied, "hindi pwede yun, travel documents wala ka?" After some minutes trying to explain my case, and seeing nothing can be done about it for the mean time, I left the building and went to the now vacated seats for waiting applicants.


I called up my mom, and in an angry and disappointed voice, "Mommy, wala ba talaga akong passport? Hindi daw posible yun eh...". She replied, "Anak, wala talaga. Ano daw ang sabi nila?...". After she hung up, I cried. Being denied still stirs some strong emotions in me. I was really disappointed. To be honest, I was a bit angry towards my mom during that time (sorry, Mom, I know I shouldn't, and I'm over it now). I know my mom tells the truth. And although I cried partly to the reason seeing the DFA guys as anatagonists, now I also understand the position of the DFA people having to doubt my case - any person, male or female, adult or child, needs a passport to travel between different countries.


So to be clear regarding the back story: I was born in Gizan, KSA - a province far from the capital Riyadh, or even the city of Jeddah. I was two or three months old when my mom brought me to the Philippines. I didn't have a passport, but they put a note in my mom's passport, "with 1 child". The same thing was practiced when my mom brought my older brother to this country a year before me. Immigration was not that strict back then. Such practices were allowed. No matter how bad as it sounds, I was technically "smuggled" into the country, since I didn't have a passport (even if I had some documentation of "with 1 child" in my mom's passport). I don't want to call it my mom's fault, or the 1985 immigration people's fault, but nonetheless, I'm paying the price for the leniency of laws during that era.
Upon arriving home, my mom called again, and said sorry to me. She also told me not to get depressed about it. I'm getting over it now, although of course, my efforts is now turned to looking for her passport in 1985. Just last year or 2 years ago, my mom already went to the legal office of DFA since my kuya also had problems processing his passport. Yes, my kuya don't have a passport yet. And he's even got a bigger problem than mine, since aside from the non-existence of his infant passport as in my case, he's also got a problem regarding the discrepancy of his (second) name, so that's another story.


So my story is not over yet. I hope to locate my mom's old passport soon, and the letter from the DFA legal office. Silly me, that despite the reminder of my mom on Tuesday night, I didn't look for those documents after her call. Well, wish me luck! Whatever happens regarding this event, I'll keep you posted.





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UPDATE
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Upon arrival of my kuya from work, I inquired about my mom's passport. And so, here in the following two pics is the page regarding my mom's entry to the Philippines with the translation in the second pic from the DFA legal office. The child stated as her dependent is my kuya.

And in this following pic, my mom's entry to the Philippines after me being born. So my hope for tomorrow is that they'd accept these documents and that they'd not try to make me produce my supposed to be lost passport, which really doesn't exist. Thanks to everyone who had been trying to help me sharing their experiences and their legal advice. 

There's hope, there's hope! Tomorrow is another day! :)

Fast NBI clearance processing at Robinson's Otis

I was searching through the web on where was the best place in the metro to process NBI clearance. I live in Marikina and Robinsons Metro East seemed like the logical place for me to do so. But, upon searching, a certain horror story regarding processing it there greeted me. Of course, I did not want to line up 3 am in the morning.

Further searching through the blog sphere directed me to processing the clearance at Robinsons Otis, which was located in Pandacan, Manila. I live in the eastern side of the Metro, and Robinsons Otis was in the heart of the west. Despite the far distance, I trusted the blog posts and also trusted on our mass transit system. It's a good thing that there is the LRT line 2 already, and that the LRT lines 1 and 2, and MRT 3 has some sort of connectivity now.

Here's a timeline of my "adventure":

5:45 Left Marikina

6:15 LRT2 Katipunan Station

6:50 LRT1 Doroteo Jose Station

7:10 LRT1 Dorote Jose Station, was able to finally board on the 4th train

7:30 Finally at Robinson's Otis, followed the directions in the blog posts. Red tricycles, upon crossing Taft Ave - UN Ave intersection. Took the tricycles, not the pedicabs. I was the 31st in line.

10:00 Mall opened. Ushered in to the Robinsons Lingkod Pinoy holding area. Good thing I was one of the early birds because I got to be seated, unlike those who were "late" that had to stand up even in the holding area. By this time, I estimated the number of those who will process their clearances to 150-200.

11:00 Finally started processing.

11:50 Got my NBI clearances (for local employment, and for travel abroad)

1:30 Back home, after having lunch and almost taking the same way back. LRT1 - LRT2 to Araneta Center Cubao - FX ride to Marikina.

Observations:

Why is processing in Robinsons Otis faster?

Well, it is almost unknown to many people. It really is just a small mall, and since there are less people trying to process their clearance there, it really would be faster. It also helps that it is "near" the main NBI office. People have the mentality that it is always better to have transactions at the main office. I'm not saying that it's not true for some government offices, but having an unknown processing center near the main office has its perks.

Kudos to Robinsons for their Lingkod Pinoy centers

Of course, there's the business side to it, but it's a win-win-win situation for Robinsons, for the government, and the general public. It is not a question that SM malls are more flocked than Robinsons Malls. Putting up the Lingkod Pinoy centers really help increase the number of people that go to Robinsons malls and help increase their revenues, even in the smallest ways. I mean, of course people will buy food/drinks in the vicinity.

It is also an advantage to the government since they no longer need to construct satellite offices. And what better place to put such offices? With the mall mentality that Filipinos have (yes, I've got issues with the "mall mentality", which is why I have many outdoor weekend events), the mall is the perfect place to set up these offices.

Finally, it is good for the general public. Despite my issues with the Filipino mall mentality, there really is an upside to it. Malls are properly ventilated, have stores that sell food and drinks, and have proper toilets too. And since there are many centers around the metro, the general public has the "power" to choose where they want to have such transactions. By the way, in the Lingkod Pinoy centers, it is not only the NBI which has a  satellite office, but Philhealth, SSS, and (for some malls,) DFA as well.






Tips:
Bring a book, hand-held devices, or music players. They will help you pass the time while in line when the mall is not open yet. I think I covered 40 pages of a book while waiting in line for 2 1/2 hours.
Bring water or bottled drinks. If you're going to process at Otis, Starbucks in the mall would be very tempting while waiting.
Prepare the necessary IDs. Of course, this is for faster processing.