When I went off to my friend, Ate Pinky's, house, she told me that she bought a new DVD. Pirated, of course. I was not in the mood to stay inside her room because I could not smoke.

But being the good guest (and the good friend) that I am, I went in. She was teaching her new 'yaya' how to operate the DVD player. And while she was waving around the DVD case, I thought I saw a glimpse of my Capt. Jack Sparrow. I got totally excited and grabbed the case.

And right I was. It was a pirated DVD that contained various movies including Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Shrek The Third, and Spiderman 3.

We played the third Pirates film and the movie was quite blurred and there were some portions when the images would pixel-ize (if there is such a word). But what the heck! It's Pirates 3! I was watching the movie with Ate Pinky and her sister, Ate Mean. Oh well. I was guffawing throughout the scenes but then I heard some snores behind. Oh yeah. The sisters had fallen asleep (they were quite tired for they did go to the market that afternoon). Who cared now? I was enjoying my movie!

However, I did not finish the movie. I was only able to see that part when Jack Sparrow goes back from that place known as Davy Jones' locker and he had been able to interpret what 'up is down' means. Yeah! Oh my beloved pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow is sure one hell of an actor! And I'm sure he'll be waiting until I am free (so I can watch him show off his antics throughout the movie).

Too bad. And I thought I was one real lakwatsera.

My Lakbayan grade is F!

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Today marks our country's Independence Day. But are we really free?

I know I should be proud that our country has been liberated from the chains of oppression from foreigners but I think we may have been liberated but we are not totally free.

And so you may ask me why do I say that we have been liberated but not exactly free. Well, just take a look around you. Do you still see foreigners taking over our land and saying that this country is theirs? No. Because they are no longer here. Literally. But if you do stop and reflect, you would notice that their presence is very much still around. Keep in mind that the forces of foreigners (especially the Americans) still are here. Do you remember the war in Iraq? GMA has decided to send our troops there when in fact it is not our war. So how come our soldiers went there? The Americans needed more power and had Filipino soldiers helping them take their claim over Iraq.

This discussion could last for a long time. And there are tons of other examples that you could also state. But I don't think I'll need to keep it as long as this already is. For most of us, Independence Day only means one thing: a holiday. But as for some, there is still a meaning behind such a celebration. And some do get to ponder, what are we really celebrating about?

These foreign conquerors may not be here and may not be seen ruling over our country just like those days when the Japanese, the Spaniards, and the Americans were here. But still, their invisible hands are continuously working their way among our politicians and our officials and they still try to run our country as subtly as they can.

I am lucky to have friends around. Although I do remember that one time when I did not have much friends back when I was in elementary. Being the "valedictorian", most of my classmates did not like me. I dunno. Maybe because I was dubbed as the "favorite" by most teachers and they did not like that. But then again, I did not want to be the favorite. I did not do anything special to make them like me. It's as simple as having my classmates not like me. But I did have one or two good friends around.

Anyhow, at present, I am lucky with the company I keep. They're fun and they really do lend me pieces of advice when I encounter some really puzzling blocks on the road of life. And, as I've shared before, most of my friends are older than me.

For example, in my group of friends from church, I do not have close friends who are of my age. Leonel's the only one who's younger than me (well, the close ones at present). My friends from the office, they're a varied bunch though. And my friends from another group are all professionals. And I mean professionals who drive their own cars. The only set of friends who are of my own age are my orgmates. Really.

So today, I feel like I am so lucky to have them around. Like today. I just got home from a night of hanging out at this resort in Sto. Domingo. Punta de Diego they call it. It's got a pool and it's near the sea. There's no one around so it's peaceful and quiet. We took two cars and off we went. Only Annabelle took a swim but we had a fun time.

Tomorrow, we're off to Tabaco. Again. Haha. And we'll be going somewhere in Joroan. Jorge says there's a great view there. We'll see. My camera is already prepared.

Since I've started Twittering, I have been quite so lazy to update this blog. I mean, with Twitter, I can just share some of my random thoughts without having to compose an entry worth calling a blog post. And I can also just browse around and read other people's thoughts without having to go from one site to another.

But then again, when I am blogging, I can show pictures and tell more stories. I can elaborate as much as I would like to - just like what I am doing now.

I guess at this point I can say that both have their own advantages and disadvantages. And it's up to me how I use each.

I don't actually know why I decided to make this post. I dunno. Haha. Sorry for that.