Byaheng Jeepney.

Commute? It’s more exciting in the Philippines!

Sa sobrang pagka malikhain ng mga Pinoy, ang mga US military jeeps noon ay nagawa nilang jeepney ngayon. Mga  jeep na may samu’t saring kulay at disenyo, personalized din kasi nakasulat ang mga pangalan ng kapamilya, may radio at speakers para sa sounds, may rosary at sampaguita na nakasabit at kung ano ano pa. Marami na ring innovations, may mga jeepney na parang bus ang design, may “pull the string” kung papara na, may mga airconditioned at meron naring E-Jeepneys.  Wala sigurong Pinoy ang hindi pa nakaranas na sumakay sa jeepney kahit 1 beses sa buong buhay nya, kung meron man.. I feel for them, they missed ¼ of their lives.

Sa araw araw siguro na pagsakay ko sa jeep, nabigyan ko na ng labels ang mga taong nakakasakay ko. Well, ganyan talaga... observant eh!

1.       The frowning face – Eto ang mga taong pagsakay ay maayos naman then in a spilt of seconds, nakakunot na ang mga noo at di na maipinta ang mukha, tingin ng tingin sa relo dahil nagmamdali na at nagpupuno pa ng pasahero si Manong Driver o kaya nama’y bad trip na sila sa  traffic kasi hindi halos gumalaw ang jeep.  Minsan nakakainis sila tingnan dahil sa contagious nilang mood.

2.       Chillax – Eto ang mga taong pagkasakay at pag abot ng bayad, isusuot na ang earphones at makikinig ng music. Yung iba naman nakatutok lang sa cellphone nila O kaya naman may dalang kung anong gadget  at maglalaro hanggang makarating sila sa kanilang destination. Hindi sila naka frown at chill lang dahil may sarili silang mundo.

3.       Sleepy Head – Obviously, eto ang mga taong pag umandar na ang jeep, hudyat na  yun ng pagtulog nila. May taglay na psychic powers tong mga to dahil nagigising na sila pag malapit na silang bumaba.

<photo: courstesy of gossip guy blog>

4.       Chikadoras – Kabaligtaran naman ng katahimikan ni Sleepy Head, eto ang mga taong walang ginawa kundi mag chikahan throughout the ride. Madalas kahit sila lang ang nag uusap, lahat ng tao sa jeep parang kwinekwentuhan nila . Sa lakas ng boses nila, bago sila bumaba updated ka na sa latest happenings sa office nila, sa bahay nila o sa buhay ng taong pinag uusapan nila.

5.       U-si – Eto ang mga taong imbes na sa kalye nakatingin ay pinipili na lang na pagmasdan ang mga pasahero. May mga nakikinig sa usapan ng chikadoras, nakikibasa ng text ng katabi at kung ano ano pang paguusisero.

6.       Lovers in Jeepney – Mga couples na pag sumakay ay parang walang ibang tao sa jeep kundi sila. Nakapulupot na nga na parang mawawala ang isa’t isa, maya’t maya pa ang harutan at lambingan. May mga kisses moment pa sa noo, balikat, pisngi o kaya sa labi. Kairita much! TSE!

#bitterlang

<photo: courtesy of life in photos blog>

 <photo: courtesy of youarenotvictorplatton.blogspot.com>

7.       Martyr – Eto ang mga pasaherong nagsasuffer sa pagiging chubby ng iba o sa kaartehan ng iba sa pag compress at pag – usod. (Pero minsan, wala na talagang space, ipipilit pa.) Dahil sila ang huling sumakay, kailangan nilang pagkasyahin ang kanilang sarili sa pag maliit na space. May suspense thriller effect to, nakakatakot kasi parang anytime mahuhulog na sila sa upuan.

8.       Play Safe -  Eto ang mga pasaherong, wala lang. Pagkasakay, nakatingin lang sa daan o kung saan man hanggang makarating sa pupuntahan nila. Tulaley lang sila pero ang isip at imagination nila malamang naka travel na sa outer space.

Ikaw, anong kwentong jeepney mo?

The Hunger Games: The Book Vs. The Movie

I guess it's safe to say that if a movie is adapted from a best selling book, you bet, it will surely be worth your money and time. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Twilight Saga, A Walk to Remember are only few examples of ingeniously written words that came to life in the big screen.

It is quite ironic though that even if we think that authors write their books perfectly, there would always  be some alterations made in their movie versions. In the Hunger Games, I personally note for these differences.

                               Movie                                                         Book  
1. Katniss gave the mockingjay pin to Prim                                  1. After Katniss volunteered to take Prim's
so that she won't be nervous about the reaping.                            place, Madge, the Mayor's daughter who
When Katniss volunteered to take her sister's place,                     became Katniss' friend, gave her the
Prim gave her back the mockingjay pin as a lucky                         mockingjay pin for her to wear as a                                                                                                                               charm to keep her safe.                                                                District 12 symbol to the Games.

2. The mutts that attacked Katniss, Peeta and Cato                   2. The mutts are more like of a half-wolf,
at the arena are plain huge and monstrous wolves.                     and half -human. They have the human eyes
                                                                                           of the other 21 tributes who died in the Games.


3. Katniss and Peeta hold the poisonous berries in their          3. Katniss and Peeta already put the berries
hands and gesture to eat them, when the Head Game          into their mouths when the Capitol Game Master  
Master stopped them and announced them as                       suddenly announced them as winners. They are                          
winners.                                                                            just smart enough not to swallow them until the
                                                                                         Capitol give in to their plans.
                   

4. After the Games, Seneca Crane, the Head Game                  4. There's no specific definition of how he
Master, was taken by the Peacekeepers and was locked           died. He disappeared after the Games and
inside a beautiful room where the poisonous berries                  people believe that the Capitol executed him.
await him.

5. The crown for the Hunger Games Victors is placed              5. The crown was divided into two so that
above Katniss' head.                                                               both Katniss and Peeta can wear it.


Also, Peeta and Katniss shared much more kisses in the book compared to the movie. Oh come on! They didn't show it. Sigh.

I personally believe that the book is always better than the movie. Of course, not only it gives you full version of the story but lets you look into the character's thoughts and emotions deeply. The setting, the characters and the events are what you make of them in your imagination.

Even though we know that the movie version will be shorter and there would be some differences, we care less because we are so eager to watch it anyway. Maybe because we like to know if the producers, director and actors can give justice to the book , to see the characters' actual faces and just not what you imagine them to be or to witness how the story will be presented right before our eyes.

Personally, I think the Hunger Games movie version nailed it. If you have any doubts, try asking some of the thousand movie goers who made them earn a whopping $208, 855, 000 in just 8 days for 4, 137 theaters.

Harry Potter already gave us the final  movie, Twilight Saga is also down to the last screenplay installment. But thanks to the Hunger Games Trilogy, there would be two more (who knows maybe three) movies to anticipate! Hooray!

I guess we are so much like the Capitol people because admit it or not, life would never be the same without  entertainment.

Until the next Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!