Then and Now

 

Old Betty: Wow! What's happened to you? I mean you've changed. I barely even recognize you...

Present Betty: Look, I have not changed...

...

Betty: Christina, have I changed...?

Christina: Well, I think it's hard not to change. I don't know. It's this place, it does something to you.

 

 

 

My college friends have told me at random times that I have changed... not just once. What are the odds of this circumstance? I mean, for me to watch this particular episode (Season 2 Episode 08) on my special day plus the fact that in the series, Christmas is also approaching. Welcome to our world.

 

 

Somehow, I've been known as a nerd, a weird, but not yet called a geek. What's the difference? They are almost similar if not exactly the same. The bottomline: others see me as the smart guy.

 

If I try to go back and look at how I was then, I cannot say for sure that I have changed now. I see some glimpse of some small changes but it's quite difficult to measure it unless I have someone who was with me from high school to college to differentiate me then and now. Situation varies and adaptation is necessary. After all, we have to get out of our box and comfort zone as we grow up. We won't be certain of what's ahead of us in the real world. It can either be fancy or cruel, ideal or messy; we can expect but we are not sure if our expectations will be met. At this times that things are going so fast, staying in one place might just be the last option.

 

Two days prior to this day, God wants me to know (via Facebook) that...

 

"Today we believe God wants us to know that ...

it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks.

People are always judging each other and, the truth is, they're not very good at it. Don't put a lot of concern into what people think of you. You weren't created to please and entertain everyone. You were created to be you, so feel good about yourself."

 

This is a great thing to know and it is true. We cannot please everybody but aren't we living to please God Almighty alone? Well, happy 20th birthday to me and I wish everyone an advance Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To God be the glory!

 

"Hey, growing up, doesn't matter what you do for a living. There are always going to have tough choices to make... I really think you can stay here and still be the person you want to be."

-Daniel Meade

The Snow Queen*

After a long time, I was able to enter a cinema again. It was delighting because we needed to unwind. The moment was right because the preliminary exams are over. We did not really know what movie to watch but as it turned out, we did not regret choosing Frozen.

This 2013 animated film is beautiful as it talks about love all over again. "An act of true love" can make anything possible. Yes, the topic love is now so common with almost everything already used for a concept. However, isn't it amazing to talk about it again to remind us of what it is?

This royal family has an eldest daughter that has magic. It can either be a curse or a blessing depending on how Elsa will use it. She has to learn how to control it to be able to call it a blessing. If things get out of hand, it obviously becomes a curse. Her emotion greatly affects it. In real life, anything we have is basically on our hands. I mean, how to use them in our lives is our decisions. It just boils down to how we see things because of our preference.

The family protected her secret even to her younger sister Anna. Anna used to know Elsa's magic and they used to be close but due to an accident, her memory was altered and eventually, they grew apart.

Many times, people think that others are better off without us - ignoring the fact that there are people who loves us enough to chase us and bring us back home. When Elsa was of age, she inherited the throne of the kingdom because when they were still young, their parents died in an accident. During the coronation night, as the gates were opened, people witnessed this magic she possess and became afraid of her. The same can be said with her so she ran away. Apparently, she wasn't able to control it. She did not want to hurt others so she built her own palace on the mountain.

To cut things short, one thing that I like the most from this movie is that we have to love ourselves in order to love others. When Elsa went far enough, I was moved by how she was able to accept herself. At the end of this entry, a video clip of this particular portion is available for viewing. I want to share it so watch it when you're free. Since the others know it already, and she's on her own, she relieved herself from despair by seeing the beauty of her magic. To her alone, it is a blessing because she is certain that she won't hurt herself. However, with others' existence around, she cannot control it because of her worrying.

So, after loving yourself, you can finally love others. Love is the key. In the end, she realized that it was the only answer to everything. She got her sister back and at the same time, she learned how to control her magic and restored the kingdom's peace. "An act of true love" solved their problems.

To end this, I would also like to share that Olaf is remembered, the funny and optimistic snowman, as well as Sven, the reindeer of Kristoff that acts like man's bestfriend.

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*The Snow Queen - a story written by Hans Christian Anderson which inspired Walt Disney's animated film Frozen

Taken for Granted

"...Gave you all I had
And you tossed it in the trash

You tossed it in the trash, you did..."

-Bruno Mars, Grenade

On one event that we had, one of the many things that I picked up from the speakers is the thought that we should surround ourselves with people who will lift us up, not bring us down. So, imagine a life like that. Isn't it amazing, a great feeling to know that you are supported? Apparently, it won't happen all the time.

In relation to the quotes you see at the beginning and at the end of this entry, this is how I feel at the moment. This entry is also related to an entry I had last month. I cannot conclude that they will do the same things I do for them but definitely this is true for me. Unless they prove to me that what I'm thinking is wrong, then, that would be a lot better.

 

"...I put you high up in the sky

And now, you're not coming down.

It slowly turned, you let me burn

And now, we're ashes on the ground..."

-Miley Cyrus, Wrecking Ball

For the Win!

 

Friend 1: Congrats! Nanalo ka pala ng 5k sa Biogesic. Libre na!!!! ;)
Friend 2: Men panalo ka ng 5k! Stig.

 

These were two text messages that I received yesterday, the day Biogesic posted the lucky winner in their Facebook page.

Three of my friends are groupmates and they were representing LPU in Biogesic Ingat ng Damang-Dama Sineserye. At first, there were lots of schools competing, but only five were chosen to advance. Thankfully, LPU was included.

In able to get the People's Choice Award, online voting was instigated and of course, the entry with the most number of votes gets the award. One lucky voter will also get a chance to win five thousand pesos. They did not get the Peole's Choice Award and they were only declared 3rd Place. However, no matter what, they are still my champion. I supported them so much that guess what? I also won. This was for them; this was for the win!

When I got those messages, I was uncertain if this was for real. I confirmed it when my friends, who were preparing for the awards night, called to congratulate me. I also went online and saw posts tagged to me with my name on Biogesic poster online. It sure was for real.

 

P.S. Everytime someone congratulates me, I thank them adding "I still can’t believe it."

Advancing Technology

Advancing technology has touched the field of print media bringing in what is called as ebook.

I must tell you, I downloaded a lot of them before, but as I have mentioned in an old entry, I had a hard time reading on monitor. Then, recently, I found myself downloading again. In the past, I downloaded a lot for safekeeping and somehow, it did not work out so I avoided them. A long time has passed since I've collected and read. So, why not try again, right?

My interest in ebooks sparked again because I saw this Jack the Ripper book and had a battle with myself. I like the book, it is cheap, but should I really buy it? I searched the web and was amazed to find an ebook version. With that, I had to decide whether I'm going to grab the hard copy or go for the free one. I made my decision and I chose to get the softcopy.

I finally found their usefulness. I finally learned their value so I’m now making use of them. Hey, I have to say, it pretty much saves a lot of money. I weigh from time to time if I actually want to have a hard copy of a particular title and if I answer no, then, I choose the ebook and I can save money for another one that I find interesting. After all, I only have to invest in time (to look for titles and download them) and electricity (of my computer in searching and of my gadget used for reading).

Learning that National Bookstore is also promoting ebook, I did my research and learned that they made a partnership with Kobo for people to have options. At first, I had doubts how the print media will survive nowadays. Thinking deep enough, I believe that with the new technologies that are arising, print will not vanish, As someone from NBS stated, they are still the National Bookstore. They said that all they wanted was to provide choices for their customers and it is good. In the end, it is still about reading. Their business benefits from the alliance, but the main topic and goal is providing reading materials, things that entertains us or educates us, or both. Read on!

Play Dead

This guy knows how to play dead for real. Ashton Holmes played roles that are key persons but then die on the latter part of the story. I don’t know what is with him but the roles he auditioned for seems to have death sentence on them. They ended up badly even though the characters were good guys.

 

The first time I saw him was in Nikita Season 1, a series about a former agent who went rogue from a dirty branch of government that trained but she wants to destroy. I saw him the second time on Wind Chill wherein someone's past doesn't want to stay past so it haunted this guy and gal who were on their way home for holidays. The third time was in The Divide, a story about survivors stuck in a basement of a building because of nuclear attack.

 

This entry is just a feature composition that I wanted to share because I noticed this little detail. Until next time. Cheers!

I Know...

I have high respect for people who have different belief. I know that at this point of time, people are celebrating something that varies from one religion to the other. I know it, trust me. I know that what we will be visiting are just remains. I am not giving importance to what’s left physically stored in boxes, but it was my personal decision to continue my visit because I want to spend some time to remember them. How often do I do that? Guess what? I got more. I was able to meet the others and bond. I was tired but I am contented. It wasn’t a waste of time.