Aza Aza Fighting!

My father, the retiree, has found a new hobby, and has joined thousands of Filipinos who are addicted to Koreanovelas. His balae, Tita Marisa, lent him DVDs of two popular Korean TV series, which had already been shown on Philippine television, "Lover Story in Harvard" (LSIH, photo of lead actors above) and "Full House" (photo below).

The first time he sat to watch LSIH, he hardly left his seat for ten (10!) hours! Mama and I teased him endlessly about it, but he was so hooked by the plot that he ignored our teasing. When his grandchildren visited us last Friday, they noticed Lolo's new passion. Luigi said, "Lolo is lazy today. He only stood up to open the gate." In fact, Papa missed meals, skipped gardening, and stayed glued to the screen. Every chance he got, he discussed with us the twists and turns in the lives of the characters. In order to get his attention, Luigi and Miko played the piano, because that was the only time that he would press the "pause" (yes, pause and not stop) button. The kids were so bewildered by his behavior that they told their parents about it when they got home.



After two days, he repeated the entire LSIH series!!! Last Saturday he complained that his eyes hurt already, so he would not watch muna. Then yesterday, he started "Full House" and got me hooked as well. I didn't enjoy LSIH that much because it was too dramatic, but "Full House" is a comedy and featured a budding writer who worked with a view of the beach outside her window, so I was curious. Papa especially enjoyed the treatment of the directors of Asian parents, and loved the father-characters in both series.

I have so many friends and relatives who have been Koreanovela fans for sometime now. It was only this week that I experienced how addicting they were, firsthand. I now can say with the proper accent and facial expression "Aza aza fighting!!!"

Papa, however, is not a surprise addition to the Koreanovela Addicts Anonymous. He has always loved watching movies and TV shows, not counting the hours and not minding repeated airings of his favorites. Being a lawyer and having children who studied abroad, the LSIH plot appealed to him a lot. Now he appreciates Asian stories more than Hollywood films.
Maybe if I become a true writer I could write about my father. He will be the hero in his own novela. Well, there's no harm in dreaming. As the Full House heroine Han Ji-eun would say, "Aza aza fighting!"