Friendship on Fire

I recently saw the DVD of the “The Perfect Man”. The picture stars Hilary Duff and Heather Locklear. You can thus very easily and quite rightly assume that it was not exactly a movie teeming with intellectual profundity. However, there was this one exquisite line in the film that unexpectedly leapt right into my head and remained hopelessly lodged in the inner recesses of my subconscious.

The line consisted of five simple words:

Love is friendship on fire.

It does not get any truer than this.

My husband and I dated exclusively for eight years before tying the knot. Now, after more than four years of marriage, we are still going strong. During the course of our being together, people have often asked me how we have managed to happily remain in a long-term relationship. Frequently, I would find myself smiling back dumbly, in an utter loss for words. For really, how can one accurately encapsulate the underlying essence of a bond so magnificently complex, so ridiculously multifaceted and so incredibly overwhelming?

At last I believe I have found the most fitting answer. Plainly put, my husband and I share a friendship on fire. We are each other’s best friend; there is no one else in the world we are as comfortable with. Yet, amidst the security and stability of companionship lies a fiery zeal for each other that keeps the romance alive.

Friendship alone does not suffice; you can have many great friends. And passion on its own, no matter how heated and thrilling at first, will fizzle out in the end. It is only upon discovering that you share with someone that singularly fabulous mix of camaraderie and passion that you know you have a love worth living for and dying for.

So all you out there in search of the perfect life mate, you would do well to take to heart this precious little nugget:

Choose well and find a love that is friendship on fire.

DVD not included.

Rated X (Pirated Version)

Once a month, my husband and I sneak over to the unassuming Makati Cinema Square to revel in one pleasurable night of pirated DVD shopping. Buying stacks of items being illicitly sold in an area that could very well be raided anytime by self-righteous anti-piracy forces produces an underground feel that only renders the entire experience more thrilling. The climax hits when you willingly hand over your cash, greedily grab your bag bursting with coveted titles and jauntily walk out of the mall with the ridiculously delightful satisfaction of knowing that you have successfully assured yourself long wondrous hours of movie viewing pleasure at a beautifully dirt-cheap price.

Last night, we were at it again. But this time, while my spouse was scouring the shelves in search of the latest Hollywood action blockbuster, I found myself strangely drawn to a mysterious pile of films tucked in a far corner of the stall. When I flipped through the hoard, I saw that they were all pornographic. I would have immediately turned away in disgust had I not been utterly riveted by their unbelievably outrageous titles.

Are you ready for this???

Here, from the least to the most preposterously titled, is the Top Ten list of X-rated films available at your friendly DVD pirate’s neighborhood:

10. Tilamsik (Was anyone fried during the making?)
9. Tarzan X (With apologies to Malcolm. What could he have done to Jane and Cheetah in the jungle?)
8. Possible Entry (One must admire the subtlety.)
7. Trapped In Tiny Holes (We hope no mice were hurt during filming.)
6. Teen Philippine (That’s the title, plain and simple. Hmmmmm.)
5. Stuffin Young Muffins (Maybe there are cute cartoon characters involved.)
4. Smells Like Slut Spirit (With apologies to Nirvana.)
3. Sanay Sa Sahig 2 (You mean there was actually a Part 1???)
2. Pers Taym (Could there be a Sekon, Tird, Port and Pip Taym?)
1. Langonisa ni Papa (No comment necessary.)

As I uncovered these titles, I laughed and laughed until the scary Muslim vendor looked about ready to send me to the loony bin. I would no doubt have espied more movie names had I stayed longer, but my red-faced husband saw fit to hurriedly pull me out of there. On our way home, I revealed to him what I saw and he could not help but crack up as well. Yes, we had just found another reason to enjoy pirated DVD shopping!