All this talk of Meteor Garden reminds me of a former officemate of mine whom I like to tease as looking vaguely similar to Hua Zhe Lei. I’m talking about my "kakosa," Engr. Stephen Las Marias.

He got married with his longtime girlfriend Lovely at the Ina ng Awa Parish Church in Muntinlupa last May 7.

That Saturday afternoon, it began to rain even though the sun was shining in Muntinlupa. The time was 4 PM, approximately the same time when Stephen was getting married! Only then did I believe the saying that when it rains while the sun is shining, there is a "tikbalang" getting married. (Peace, Steep!) Still, they say rain during a wedding is a blessing so a heavy downpour (which was exactly what happened) must be a downpour of blessings as well.

When I finally got to the church by quarter to 5 PM, they were already exchanging vows and wedding rings. There must have been at least a dozen pairs of ninongs and ninangs and their color motif was golden yellow.

The wedding reception was held at the Sto. Nino Pavilion in a nearby village. They hired a band to play and I overheard the caterer say that they had to replace the tablecloths because they got wet during the rain earlier.

The program consisted of the cake cutting, wine drinking, dove releasing, bouquet throwing (the new practice now is to throw several roses and the girl who gets the one with the congratularoty note is touted as the next bride), the garter throwing, and the first dance as a couple, during which guests pinned money on the couple’s clothes in accordance to a Filipino custom.

As I went home, I texted Stephen and advised him that when troubles do  come, he should just recall the vows they made to each other on their wedding day.

The Las Marias - Palisoc Nuptial at the Ina ng Awa Parish Church in Muntinlupa.

"We profess our vows before God and before man…"

Stephen and Lovely Las Marias, ECE

Still "kakosas"

Still another cult classic in the Chinovela genre is ABS-CBN’s Lovers in Paris, which is being aired again as "Lovers in Paris — The Second Time Around." I get to watch episodes of this series when it is aired on Sundays but I’m not addicted to it as I was with MG.

This Korean
series features two of Korea’s most popular stars,
Kim Jung-eun (as Vivian) and Park Shin-yang (as Carlo). It is the story of Vivian, a househelp
who is creating a new life in Paris after the tragic death of her beloved father. Her businessman-employer is a suave multi-millionaire who falls in love with her. But she’s torn
between two loves as the nephew of her employer, Martin (played by Yoon Soo-hyuk) is also in love with
her.

TV screenshot taken using my Smart Amazing Phone

I got my first sampling of Asian telenovelas with the TV series "Meteor Garden" which was an adaption from a popular Japanese manga called Hana Yori Dango by Kamio Dango.

Meteor Garden is the story of a young, poor, but strong-headed girl named Shan Chai (Barbie Hsu), a student of Taiwan’s Ying De University, which is a school for the upper class founded and funded by the F4’s family. The four most popular and affluent boys who call themselves F4 (The Flower Four) developed a unique relationship with Shan Chai.

No one in university could be safe if they messed up with the F4 which consists of: the spoilt, obnoxious, short-tempered Dao Ming Si (Jerry Yan) who is actually sweet on the inside; the serious, calm, but sharp-witted Hua Zhe Lei (Vic Zhou Yu Min) who expresses his emotions through the beautiful music he plays on his violin; Xi Men (Ken Zhou), the playboy with a romantic heart; and Mei Zuo (Vaness Wu), the sly and party freak who values friendship. Shan Chai was the only one brave (and foolish) enough to defy the F4 that resulted in her receiving a "red tag" that signified she was to be bullied by other people in the University.

The highlights of the show include the heart-tugging tale of Dao Ming Si’s effort to woo Shan Chai, whose eyes and heart is set on Hua Zhe Lei, and the conflicts between their completely different world of social classes and personal characteristics.

In the second installment of Meteor Garden, Shan Chai and F4 finally graduated from college. As they step into the real world, they are faced with the more serious and complicated life challenges. In Barcelona, Spain, Dao Ming Si was involved in a car accident that made him lost his memory. He comes back to Taiwan with a new love interest, Ye Sha (Michelle Alicia Saram), and tries to live a new life while taking on a journey of self-discovery as the commoner named Ah Si. Hua Zhe Lei, Xi Men, and Mei Zhuo sorted out their own lives as they stood by Shan Chai until Dao Ming Si finally regained his memory.

At the height of the popularity of Meteor Garden, I was working at Global Sources in Makati so I wasn’t able to follow the series on TV. Intead I relied on the trusty radio of my officemate Deejay and we would pause from 5:30 to 6 PM to listen to the simultaneous telecast over ABS-CBN’s radio station. I looked forward to those episodes everyday and I was a bit obsessed with the feisty Shan Chai and her roller coaster-like love affair with Dao Ming Si and the reserved Hua Zhe Lei.

After the season ended, they showed it again, billing it as "Meteor Garden Rewind" every Saturday and Sunday and only then did I get to watch the episodes on TV.

I was so caught up with the MG Mania that I even went to one of their concerts held at the Open Field at The Fort. It featured Jerry Yan (Dao Ming Si) and Vic Zhou Yu Min (Hua Zhe Lei), as well as Barbie Hsu (Shan Chai) and her sister. It was a fun event and was hosted by Ai-ai De Las Alas who changed into one outrageous costue after another every time she left the stage.

I also loved the part when Bayani Agbayani and Vhong Navarro pittted their hit songs, Otso-Otso and Pamela One, against each other. When Jerry Yan and Vic Zhou came out to perform, we stood up on our chairs in an effort to see them better. After the show, they lit the sky with amazing fireworks.

Why am I reminiscing all of these? It’s because Channel 2 will again be airing the famed Chinovela, this time billing it as "Meteor Garden — The Full Edition."

TV screenshot  taken using my Smart Amazing Phone

Update: Meteor Garden — The Full Edition is now being shown right before TV Patrol at ABS-CBN, from Mondays to Fridays.