Destination: Quiapo

I went to Quiapo last Saturday to buy pDVDs. I was quite excited because it was my first time to go there on my own.

The best thing about going out alone is that I have the liberty to do what I want with my time. I can afford to linger longer and walk at my own pace without worrying about a tired companion. I also get to meet new people.

My agenda for the day was to look for copies of Battle Royale and Lust, Caution. My first stop was at the stall selling animes and Asian dramas. There was a bunch of guys in the stall and they were buying a lot of stuffs. Among them was an Asian guy who was in a pDVD shopping spree as he was leaving for Singapore. Unfortunately, both the DVDs I was looking for were not available. I bought new titles (Warlord, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, Bank Job), the Death Note live-action films, and the only Akira Kurosawa title available, The Seven Samurais. One of the guys recommend a film to me (“Miss yung katabi nung Seven Samurai maganda din!”), and I’m not sure, but I think he thought I knew how to read Japanese because the film he was recommending didn’t have an English title and I asked him what the title was and he just grinned sheepishly.

“Ano ba story nun? Parang Seven Samurais din?”
“Uh, hindi love story siya.”

My best find for the day was the DVDs for Maskman! And, okay, I did bought two more jdramas.

My next stop was at the stall selling Blue-ray and HD DVDs (can I just say I love the packaging of these discs?). While browsing though the titles, a middle-aged lady arrived and asked the seller if he has a copy of City of God. I was already holding my copy of that movie and told her that they have it and gave her another copy. I was curious with her choices (she was now looking for Cinema Paradiso) and I asked her if she likes foreign language and arthouse films and she said yes. I don’t know but I feel sort of embarassed that my preferences were more mainstream and was glad that time that I was holding copies of City of God and Donnie Darko instead of Speed Racer.

“Ikaw miss, ano hinahanap mo?”
“Battle Royale po.”
“Ay, meron ako nun.”
“Talaga po? Saan po niyo nabili? Kanina pa ko naghahanap dito ala daw po sila.”
“Internet. Download lang.”

“Sobrang violent (ung Battle Royale),” she added matter-of-factly. I hope I can be as cool as her when I reach her age.

I bought City of God and Donnie Darko, plus the Special Editions of Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, Collector’s Edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Leon (Gary Oldman!!!).

I stayed for a while inside the “mall” because it was raining outside. When the rain stopped, I hailed a pedicab to take me to Quiapo church since the streets were flooded. From the church I walked to the LRT station in Carriedo. I was a few hundred bucks poorer, tired and a bit dirty, and I failed to find the movies I was originally looking for, but it was a good experience that I want to repeat another day.