Starting Over Again : My Thoughts

                 Why do couples, after separating, has to meet again? Could there be another chance for them to get back together? What if wala? But what if meron?  Why? All these questions were answered after I watched Star Cinema’s Valentine movie offering, Starting Over Again.

                Starring Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga, directed by Olivia Lamasan. Piolo Pascual delivered very well the character of Marco, a History professor turned Chef. Syempre, Piolo Pascual is Piolo Pascual. He exactly showed how a man who fell so deeply in love then got hurt and became devasted after being left alone by the one he loves so much. Even if there were heavy confrontation scenes, I like seeing Piolo in this kind of light romantic-comedy film. And I also like how looking at him during the movie can make one glued to him, because he is really “gwapo”. Toni Gonzaga on the other hand, played the character of Ginny, a student who was head over heels to her History professor, who eventually became an Architect. Just like in her previous films, Toni G., never fails to showcase her humor with the characters she plays. Here, I appreciate her maturity and bravery to do those kissing scenes and love scene, something I don’t usually see in most of her films. I am also impressed with her fashion in the movie. Overall, I love how good they were in making people relate to the characters they played.

                In the movie, the girl fell for the boy then the boy catches the girl. They eventually bacame a couple, then got separated. The girl left the boy. Years after, they met and saw each other again. The girl, Ginny, was hoping they could have another chance but the boy, Marco, was already with somebody else, Patty (Iza Calzado). The ex couple could have had a part 2 of their relationship but it was now complicated having a new person in the scene. If there’s already someone new, why do they have to meet again??

                The movie’s ending wasn’t the ending that I have (or maybe “we”) expected. I’ve watched several Star Cinema romantic-comedy films with that happily-ever-after ending, but this time, it didn’t end the same way. And I think it was the best thing about the movie. I love how perfectly the story was made... because in reality, some relationships doesn’t always last and have a happy ending. It ended just right.

                So again, why do ex couples have to meet again? Second chance? To rekindle the old flame? Maybe. But what if the other has already moved on with another life? What if it is already complicated and impossible to have a part 2? Why still meet? The movie answered it with “closure”. Maybe two people with an unresolved past has to meet again not because they have a one more chance, but because they simply have to put an end to what they used to have... to have a closure to all the why’s, what if’s, to all the questions and issues that are haunting ex lovers.

                Starting Over Again is not your usual romantic-comedy film. I might not have expected the ending of Marco and Ginny’s love story but I felt glad on how the movie ended with that feel-good feeling. I love how the movie has its effect on me. I mean, I felt the sadness but it definitely placed a smile on my face later on. Above all, I love how it taught me (or maybe, “us”) that not all relationships has its happy ending;  that one, after all the heartbreak, has to move on and get back up on track again... that eventually one has to start all over again... to start making his/herself whole again... :)

Reasons of Being Single on Valentine’s Day

                ‘Tis the season of Roses, Chocolates, Love letters, Stuff toys, Restaurants and other places filled with couples. Indeed, love is in the air!

                On this day, February 14, we would expect to see couples celebrating this day really happy and full of love. People will surely find and do things just to make their partners feel loved during the Valentine’s Day. But how about those people who are not in a relationship on this day? How would the singles be able to enjoy the Heart’s Day?

                Of course there are a lot of ways. Celebrate and go out with friends, have a date with your family and other loved ones, stay busy, and a lot of other things. One may also sleep the whole day and act as if today is just a normal day or make it your ME time since for some singles, Valentine’s day is their Single Awareness Day. 

                But really, why do some people stay single when they can actually enjoy being with somebody else? While there are a lot of reason for staying in a relationship, we could also enumerate numerous reasons why people choose to be single.

                For some, being single is means staying out from headache and stress... something we all knew is just an excuse to a something deeper reason. Some would say being single keeps them away from hassle, remembering important dates, ensuring to attend to our partner and etc. Maybe they have a point. Maybe that is somehow true. And all we can give to these people is the benefit of the doubt ... the thought that may be they are telling the truth.

                Another reason for staying single is being too picky in finding or choosing the right partner for us. We would encounter people listing who they wanted to be with, what kind of a man or woman they want, they wanted this, they wanted that... even parents and family members makikilista ng standards nila.

                Third is, that person with a single status had his or her heart broken. That person could be mending his or her broken heart after a failed relationship. There are several scenario on why couples have fallen apart but these people or one of them, who used to be together might choose to just be alone... until such time he or she has finally moved on. Until the time that he or she is whole again and has the capacity to love again and enter into a commitment.

                The last reason i have in mind is that, may be that the single person is waiting for someone. Someone who promised to give love at the right moment. Someone who we wish to come back and choose us to be with them. Someone who we define as our true love. Someone who our heart has never forgotten.

I’m sureAll of us, i think, dreamed of meeting someone at the right time, right moment, who can make our heart melt and sweep us off our feet. We tend to wait for that person that is why we choose to be alone until that time arrives.

Being single on Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean we have to weep and envy those couples celebrating this special day ... for we, the singles, have our own reason why we choose to be dateless this Valentine’s Day. Furthermore, Valentine’s Day is not only meant to be celebrated by couples but also be shared to our loved ones. 

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

One Sided Love Affair

                One falls in love and other catches the other. This is the typical and most ideal kind of love story for anyone.     

         

                But what if ... no was there to catch the one who was falling? What if isa lang yung na-in love? What if IKAW lang yung nagmamahal? What if..?

                One sided love affair – the kind of love relationship or situation where one has fallen in love and other isn’t. Where in one has been giving, and the other only receives. The love affair where one is in love to someone who doesn’t love them back.

                How does it feel to love someone who bacame the apple of your eyes but hasn’t even laid their eyes on you? How does it feel when after you have given all the efforts and everything that you can give just to show how much you love him or her, all you receive is nothing? Worst is, wala manlang ni-thank you. No appreciation at all. Yes, I guess it hurts. It hurts to tell someone “i love you” and then walks away from you. As they say, it is like you are hugging a cactus... it won’t hug you back, it would even hurt you and leave you wounded. It’s like you jump off onto a something hoping someone was there to catch you, but no one was there and you broke into pieces. Ouch. Painful.

                Sometimes, we tend fall for someone who is just out of our reach. Or, possibly within reach but, someone who is just not really into you. It’s hard because we can not simply choose who to fall for and ask that person to love us back. When we fall in love, we can never expect that the love we have given will be reciprocated. We can only hope for that small amount of chance that maybe, one day, they would also feel the way we feel for them... that maybe, in time, he or she will look at you at sa iyo naman umikot ang mundo niya, dahil para sa iyo, siya na ang mundo mo.

                Hurt. Pain. Sadness. That is how you would feel to be in this situation. Friends would even tell you how stupid you are, laugh at you and sila pa mababadtrip sayo. And you just wouldn’t listen ... You would still choose to be in it. As the saying goes, ”It’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all”. Kumbaga, at least you were able to show someone how you feel and what love is. Time will come that all the love that you have for that certain person, will be consumed and nothing will be left. All the experience will become your lesson ... And maybe, one day, someone will find you, walk into your life, pick up all the broken pieces of you and give you the love that you truly deserve...

               

What is Love?

            February. The Love Month. As they say, Love is in the air. With that, I feel like writing anything and everything about Love for this whole month … J

            Love. We all just have a lot of question about love. When and how do we know if we are already in love? Who are we going to love? Or can we even choose who to fall in love with? Where can we find love? Is love really accompanied by pain? Do we really have to make a sacrifice for love? And a ton of other questions about love. But then, probably the first question we would ask is, What is love? Hmm …

            According to Mr. Webster (Webster Dictionary), love is a feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preeminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness. And then on Wikipedia, it says that, love can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment. It can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection —"the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another". It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals. So, it seems that love is a feeling or emotion that make anyone be good person as it may push us to be kind, compassionate and be gentle to a person and/or to everyone.

What is love? A question which I believe had been asked since the ages. That probably is the reason why love has been described in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8;

“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

 8 Love never fails”

            But then if we get to ask a person, what is love, we can surely hear just a lot of definition for love. One may say that love is what we give to a person who could mean so much to him/her. The other would say that love is something felt by the heart and can make us kilig. Another may answer that love is a gift and a blessing we receive for showing goodness and care to a certain person. People might say that love is a wonderful feeling that can turn our world upside down and make us do crazy things.

            What is love? One question, too many possible answers. If I were to be asked about the definition of love, I simply do not have a definite answer … I (or we) would just feel it. For me, love changes its meaning depending on the person’s state of mind… depending on his/her situation. It could be mother/brotherly love or simple affection to a friend and special someone. Love is what we feel to a particular person, we sometimes didn't notice…we are already in love.

            Maybe… I am sure each and every one of us has his or her own definition of love. It may be similar to Mr. Webster… It could be described the same and with accordance to the Bible… It may give us such pain and sacrifice in the end or along the way, but still worth to have experienced to feel what love is. Surely, Love is for everyone to feel and to be given and shared … especially this season of love. J

           

            

Chinese New Year 2014

        In celebration to the Chinese New Year, January 31, 2014 has been declared as a special non-working holiday. Since it is a work-free day, my family and I decided to celebrate new year with the Chinese community in Binondo ... where we ended up in Lucky Chinatown, the newest mall within the vicinity of Divisoria...

        Lucky Chinatown Mall is composed of two buildings. The Main and the Annex. Outside between this two mall buildings is their Lucky Chinatown Walk where we one can find food stalls with good food and affordable price range.

        Another attraction at the Lucky Chinatown Walk is the 10 Lucky Rituals at Lucky Chinatown. Since we went there to celebrate new year the Chinese Way, we followed some of the rituals listed. Hoping we would some luck for this year - 2014. :)

The 10 Lucky Rituals in Lucky Chinatown

       First among the rituals is to light an incense at the Miao De Amituofu Pureland. A Buddha was placed resting on top of a mini stage filled with fruits and flowers. People with lightened incense fell in line and take turns to be able to say their wishes and leave the incense in front of the Buddha. We were also instructed on what to say as we ask for our wishes and with the proper way of holding an incense.

The Golden Buddha

My Mom and Grandmother quietly saying their wishes

        Next is to toss a coin at the Prosperity Tree. It is said the tossing a coin to the tree, will make one prosper and have good fortune.

The Prosperity Tree

The Prosperity Tree being guarded by Golden Horses

        Third is to offer fruits to the Dragon Tortoise at the Prosperity Garden which may bring good fortune for one's career and business. And then, Ring the Good Luck Gong to help calm the mind and relax the soul... to find inner peace and luck.

My Mom with the Gong

        Fifth is to rub the Maneki Neko Cat which often placed in front of a store to bring good luck to the owner. We've been looking for this figure along the Walk but we didn't find any. Until we went in to one of the Feng Shui stores and saw the cat figure and immediately rubbed the Maneki Neko Cat. Next is to write down a wish at the wishing wall. With an ema board, we wrote our wishes for 2014.

The Wishing Wall filled with wishes written on an Ema board

        Seventh is to buy good luck charms. My mom bought me a lucky charm for those who were born on the year of the Dragon. Eight is to Pick a Lucky Ang Pao only if we were able to purchase a 2000php worth of items from the mall. Then treat oneself to lucky foods with lucky plates in Lucky Chinatown of course. Last is to Complete the Year of the Horse Mural in Lucky Chinatown with a chopstick.

The Lucky charm, which also serves as protection, for those born on the year of the Dragon.

        Since it was my first time in Lucky Chinatown, I'm glad I went there during their celebration of the Chinese New Year. I am not a Chinese but I enjoyed following their their rituals. Although we, Filipinos, had adapted the Chinese culture here in the Philippines, it was a good thing that the establishment put up something like that so that Filipinos can somehow understand and relate with the Chinese community even more.

Chinese Lantern above the Lucky Chinatown Walk

The Lucky Chinatown and above The Lucky Chinatown Walk

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Kung Hei Fat Choi! Happy Chinese New Year! :)

The Legal Wife

Many of us may be wondering why after giving all the love that one can give, some relationship still fall apart. Oftentimes, we would hear stories of falling out of love and infidelity... And we would always why...

Why one is being caught cheating his/her partner? Why he/she has fallen out of love? Why someone would settle to being the number 2 and enjoy that ample amount of attention being given to a kabit? Why the one who was left behind would still hold on and try to bring his/her partner back? Who should be blamed?

These are the questions I hope the latest ABS-CBN Teleserye, The Legal Wife, would answer. Opening this January 27, 2014, starring Jericho Rosales, Maja Salvador, JC De Vera and Angel Locsin, after Got To Believe.

Finally, the long wait is over. :)

photo cto

Starting the year right with the Black Nazarene

                The moment 2014 came in, I knew, I already wanted to start the year right. I didn’t know how am I supposed to do it, I don’t even have any plan on what I am going to start with.

photo cto

                 Last January 1st, according to the news report, there had been several people who started their novena to the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila since its feast day will be on January 9. Yearly, I remember reports, images, photos and stories of how miraculous the Black Nazarene is and how devotees show their great devotion to the Nazareno. And so I made up my mind that this year, I want to be part of the said feast.

                Just like in previous years, the Nazareno was brought to the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta and will be returned on the 9th day of January in Quiapo church. Traditionally, people would follow the procession from the Grandstand back to the church. Then the devotees, along the way, would try to touch the image, throw a hanky or a towel and have it wiped through it, or at least hold the rope attached to it. Seeing that huge number of people on the road with the Nazareno, I knew, I can not just jump into that sea composed of people dying to feel or have a glimpse of it. So I decided to go directly to the church and just attend a mass.

                And so I went to Quiapo church. As expected, it wouldn't be so easy for me to be able to get inside the church quickly. It was a struggle. It took me almost an hour just to get inside. When I got in, the mass was just about to start. During the mass, I was asking myself if it was already okay that I wasn't able to touch the image of the Black Nazarene. I was wondering. Then the priest during the homily told us that, the essence of the feast is by listening to the message of the Lord; that attending the mass is much more important than touching the image. I felt glad that I did. And I guess, I started the year just right. :)

                After the mass, it took me another almost an hour to get outside of the church. J