The Kalye Series: #ALDUBInTheBeginning...

"Aldub exploded into the phenomenon that it is ... because it provided good and clean respite from the polluted air we inhale by reading the news ... or simply going out of our houses." -- Direk Jose Javier Reyes

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Sooner or later, "The Big One" will take the Philippines off its feet in surprise leaving anyone in complete shock wondering what happened. And yes, it just landed its first blow last July 16, 2015 when it revealed it wasn't really an earthquake but a virus - an epidemic. An epidemic which is, right now, completely being too much infectious up to the point it actually changed my daily routine and schedules, in a positive way. *wink*

 AlDub is an accidental love team of Alden Richards himself and Yaya Dub, Maine Mendoza in real life, which started at Juan 4 All, All 4 Juan's Problem Solving. I was an avid fan of this segment. I always see to it that I turn on the TV and watch it whenever possible. I am always mesmerized on how Jose, Wally, Paolo do their impromptu acts and jokes. There was this time when Jose impersonated Willie Revillame. There times when they impersonate other artists and singers and to some on-the-spot singing with these voices. There are times when they "raid" houses and do some crazy stuffs while the show is going on. The spontaneity of the segment makes it fun to watch - truly a stress reliever from everyday's news.

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Enter Problem Solving which is actually a segment inside this segment. Yeah, you could just call it a mini-segment, of course. This is where JoWaPao answers neighbors questions about life, lovelife, work, food, makeup, their neighbors, their officemates, their faces, etc. Name it, or rather say, ask it. They'll answer it. Of course, some of those answers have puns and humors too.

This Problem Solving just gave birth to a need of someone who can help the neighbors find a scientific, rather say mystical (pun intended), solutions to the raging problems of the neighbors in the barangays.  Wally, in the person of Doktora The Explorer, wearing a white long lab gown and a wig, of course, having her moving cart full of herbal medicines with strange, ridiculous, funny scientific names - intends to provide medical solutions to their "patients" with a cost of some dollars alongside with some crazy overpriced delivery fees. It became a hit. People, including me, are always waiting for the scientific names of these herbal medicines Doktora has to offer. I did loved this character and subscribed to her so much until she was bound to a trip to Africa for a seminar to improve her skills in "quack" medicines. I actually felt quite sad here. But I think I felt EB's need for another character because the viewers' interest are slowly fading away after, maybe, being overdosed for a long time.

It was my vacation when I witnessed Doktora's last week in Problem Solving before leaving to Africa. How I wish that time that she'll just be absent for a couple of weeks. Until Saturday came, when a new character played by Wally, of course, entered the Problem Solving segment. She's Lola Nidora, one of Doktora's grandmother, (sorry but I can't really remember the very long full name of her, even longer than Jose Rizal's) with her nanny Yaya Dub - Divina Ursula Bokbokova Smash. Ohhh, good thing I remembered Yaya's full name. Of course, who wouldn't? :)

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At first, I was like "Ugh. Mas maganda parin pag si Doktora. Ano naman sasabihin nito at anong trabaho niya? Pano magpapayo to kung walang dala-dalang gamot?" Of course, being a lola and a self-proclaimed philanthropist, she advises by experience - with an annoying tone of voice. Jose actually had a hard time with both Lola and Yaya. Both of them look at Jose as some sort of a disease-carrying man where everytime they have a contact with him, Yaya grabs some disinfectant. Although Yaya Dub is surely noticeable at this scene, she's not really supposed to be some sort of an eye-catcher you'll be happy seeing for a long period of  time. She's unique in a sense that the only way she answers to anyone is through dubsmash. And yeah, it's rare to see someone do that in TV aside from those lip synch's in a prod or concert. Hahaha.

The thing here is that Yaya has always been rude and grumpy to everyone except, of course, for Lola Nidora. The next few weeks became exciting for some reasons. First, everyone, even the Eat Bulaga hosts at the studio, looks forward to what Lola Nidora and Yaya will be taking as their medium of transportation to get to the set - a classy car, tricycle, big bike, boat, a police car, and even a carabao. The second reason is how will Lola try to help Jose and Paolo answer the problems of our neighbors. Lastly, the quarrel between Jose and Yaya who seem to really hate each other.

Those were the only things that I am looking forward to in the segment of Eat Bulaga. It has been about a week or so but it's just that. Nothing more to look forward too. I'm starting to get bored wishing Doktora to came back. Then one sunny afternoon...

While doing her daily routine dubbing some dialogues and songs, she caught herself off-guard when she realized someone she really admires, in real life, is staring at her. She just became conscious of herself. She smiled. She smiled? She smiled! Wait! Whuut?! It's the first time she did that. Even the hosts were surprised. She has always acted rude and grumpy to everyone. She never smiled before to anyone. And now, she's chuckling behind her abaniko she is using. I was like "Woah. Mas maganda pala 'to kapag nangingiti."
Yeah. Those smiles were not simple smile. That is brought by genuine "kilig" when you see your crush staring at you. I did have several crushes before. "Crush lang naman. Hahaha." Though being a boy, you rarely show this feeling. But man, she's really into him. I mean, he just strucked our grumpy Yaya and made her unconsciously went out of her character. Of course, I don't know what Alden felt that time. He's happy of course that someone has a crush on her. He chuckled a bit when he saw that Yaya was really out of her character that time. She slightly gained her composure did her infamous "Pabebe Wave" and dubbed "Naniniwala na ko sa Forever" which is obviously for Alden. I became quite interested here. Man, they just got some chemistry even though they just met on that day. No one actually knew that on that day, a history-in-the-making and a phenomenal love team was born. I thought that it would just be a one day thing but I was wrong.

from pep.ph

I never thought that I'm the only one who were captured by their chemistry and most of all, Yaya Dub/Maine's charm. #ALDUB was all over my feed. It was an instant hit. In that very moment, I became interested to know her more. Visited some pages in the net just to get some information on who she really is. Man, I was obsessed big time! And that was the birth, the beginning of their journey. The beginning of their phenomenal love team and the most anticipated Kalye Serye in the afternoon. Everyone wasn't prepared for this, most especially EB itself. No one saw it coming. But the great thing is, they are known for this spontaneous, out-of-the-blue, impromptu scenarios because that's what Juan 4 All is.

On that day, Alden and Maine, never knew that this would create something big - rather say something huge. Something worldwide. Something record breaking. Something that will mark on our history. Something that will revive Eat Bulaga from the steady state they are into. Something worth watching. Something that will disprove the claim "Walang Forever." Something worth remembering three to five years from now. Something that will be phenomenal. Something that will change their lives - and of course, our lives too.

Someone opened up a book, lifted up His pen and started writing a story about two people, their struggles, their love, and the people that surrounds them. A story where half of it is written by the readers themselves. And half of it . . . is written by God himself. And soon we might find out, that this Kalye Serye was NOT the beginning chapter of the book but just a part of the climax. And the pages of the first chapters were actually all about what happened FIVE YEARS AGO...


*The Kalye Series might be on Taglish on the next one. I'm running out of English, dude!"