Harry Potter and the Theater Imps

Yes, this is intended to be a Harry Potter post but I decided not going to make a review about it. Let’s just say the movie was superb. Probably six times better than the previous one (Order of the Phoenix; Prizoner of Azkaban remains on top of my list). Instead, I want to tell you about the ‘theater imps’.

They hide themselves inside the cold, dark corners of every movie theater. They are the small, shrill voices you hear in the background that definitely ruin your watching stint. No, they are not ghosts nor are they supernatural beings. They’re completely human and they’re utterly irritating.

They are more likely to show up in novel-based movies. But they could also spread doom in practically any movie, provided they are highly anticipated. They often express their grudge over the distorted story-telling (“Oh, bakit yun na agad?” or “Ganito dapat yung sasabihin niya…!” ) but more often they will spoil the next scene (“Tapos ang mangyayari dyan…” or “Ayan na, ayan na!” ). And like an over-eager Lola Basyang, they will tell the rest of the story to their innocent member and devastate the moment of their neighbors.

Hey, theater imps, do you really think you’re cute? Fine, you loooove the book. You know every inch of the novel by heart. But do you honestly expect the producers to translate it to film word for word? Maybe you misinterpreted the word ‘adapted’ and thought it’s synonymous to ‘verbatim’? Or perhaps you’ve already seen the movie or read the synopsis and reviews beforehand. But do you really have to spoil it? If you couldn’t help your mouth, then please, help it. Fudge you.

So to the hardworking law-makers of this wonderful country, I propose you pass a law regarding illegal chit-chatting inside the theater. ‘Illegal chit-chatting’, to avoid ambiguity, refers to re-telling the story of a novel-based movie and spoiling the next scene in the movie he/she already watched. Law offenders will be required to recite the whole film verbatim. Failure to do so will put them to eternal damnation. What a lovely country this would be!

But then again, we are all guilty.

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Pieta

Everyday is an exceptional day, isn't it?

This day seemed to be ending in a mediocre fashion already. I was on my way home, riding a Jurassic old jeepney. I was thinking how lackluster this day is when an unexpected sight caught my attention.

In front of me was a mother carrying her sleeping child on her lap. All is looking perfectly normal between them. Then at the drop of a hat, she started weeping silently while gently caressing her child’s forehead. I don’t know who they are. I have no speck of idea what their story is. But that plain and unforeseen sight moved me big time.

For some reason, mothers have always had some special connection to me. I could watch a girl or a child whimper and still be apathetic about it but not with a mother. Laging may kurot sa puso. If it was somebody else I saw my mind would’ve run haywire surmising the reasons for her weeping. But at that moment, no presumptions entered my mind. Just the thought of how powerful and unrestricted the love of a mother to her child is.

So why am I writing this? Mother’s Day is way behind the calendar and there’s still two months to go before my mom’s natal day. But do we really have to wait for a special day to tell our parents and make them feel how we value them?

Everyday is an exceptional day, so don’t waste it.