Christmas Recap

Christmas was ok. I tried to get into the spirit but I just wasn't feeling any holiday tingle at all. First of all it was tiring from all the shopping that needed to be done, and then it became a bit, well, pointless since we had work anyways. (I didn't, since Saturday happened to be one of my rest days, but still. I empathize with my colleagues.)

First half of Saturday I was tuned in to Animax, watching the Card Captor Sakura marathon. I wouldn't have it any other way, but some officemates txted me and asked if I wanted to go with them and watch one of the Metro Manila Filmfest entries in the evening, after their shift. Suddenly feeling like a loser for wanting to stay at home, I said sure and we agreed to watch Mano Po 3. I would rather have watched Aishite Imasu (since Judy Ann was in it -- quit snickering), but I guess majority wins. I didn't mind that much, since Vilma Santos was in Mano Po.

So anyway, I met up with them around 7:30, and headed to the theaters to catch the 8PM screening of the movie. Apart from the funny smells inside the theater and not remembering any scenes na meron talagang nag-mano, I liked the movie.

Thinking about it, it wasn't that much different from it's predecessors (not only because of the theme, but also because of the excess amounts of EyeMo-supplemented scenes), but somehow, because it was more focused on one character, this movie had more coherence and a clearer perspective in it. I felt like I really understood how Vilma Santos' character, Lilia, was feeling and all the personal hell she was going through. Especially during the scenes when her kids started to get a bit iffy at her, I wanted to kick them in the gut and tell them, "You don't know your mother at all!"

It made me think how much people can be misunderstood. Or no matter how long we have already known someone, or how confident we can say that we truly understand someone, the sad truth is we really do not. Heck, we have so much trouble understanding ourselves, how much more understanding other people, right? How arrogant we must be telling other people we understand what they're going through. The closest we can come to understanding someone is maybe to hear them out and empathize. But what they're actually going through -- it's next to impossible.

In the movie, I admire Lilia very much because no matter how much negativity, no matter how much loathing she was getting from people around her, she kept resilient. She kept silent. Not because she accepted their accusations, but because she truly understood what they were feeling. She knew their accusations were valid, with the one glitch of not knowing what she went through in her past. She wasn't selfish as to deny them their feelings. If there were anyone who should be called selfish, it was the people accusing Lilia because they didn't even bother trying to understand Lilia's side. I don't think it even crossed their minds that Lilia had to be heard. But Lilia stayed silent, and understood.

I hope most people can try to keep quiet even for a few moments and try to understand, instead of complaining all the time.

This Christmas wasn't such a complete waste after all. :)