Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

"After thirty years, Wilson Lewis is forced to face a painful truth. His wife, Jane, has fallen out of love with him, and it is entirely his fault. Despite the shining example of his in-laws, Noah and Allie Calhoun (originally recounted in The Notebook), and their fifty years love affair, Wilson is unable to express his true feelings. He has spent to little time at home and too much at the office. Now his daughter is about to marry, and his wife is thinking about leaving him. But if Wilson is sure of anything, it's this: His love for Jane has grown over the years, and he will do anything he can to save their marriage. With the memories of Noah and Allie's inspiring life together as his guide, he vows to find a way to make his wife fall in love with him...all over again."

- Summary from The Wedding Novel

I just need to share it so that others will have an idea of what I'm about to say. It was July when I saw "The Wedding" on my favorite bookstore. Curiosity started to ignite inside me and made me come back almost everyday contemplating if it's going to be a waste of money or if it's going to be worth it. I was 17 yrs old, I've read a few novels but only Sidney Sheldon's work owned by my mother, and my aunts. It's a bit expensive for me because I never tried to buy anything for myself. I always need to ask permission if I could have it. Until one day, I got lucky. I started going summer classes that may help me when the first semester starts. My grandfather gave me my allowance for one month. I ran off the school as fast as I can and went straight to the bookstore, got myself a copy of The Wedding, pay for it, and went home. I was very excited, I started thumbing the novel on my way home. After changing clothes, I settled to my best position at the table in my room and started reading it.

Unexpectedly I finished reading the whole thing just in less than a day. From then on, I started buying all Nicholas Sparks novel he made and read it right away. I didn't tell you what was my reaction toward the story. The story meant a lot to me. I just realized that last night, while reading it again for the second time. That novel is the best thing I've ever read in my entire life and I'll never get tired of reading it again.

Since the movie trailer of Nights in Rodanthe came out, I've been dying to see it because it's a good story. When I first saw the trailer, I know there was something familiar in it, I continued watching the trailer as it the story slowly unfolds in front me, then before they revealed the title of the movie. It already slipped my mouth in a bit loud voice, "Night's in Rodanthe I'm definitely going to watch this." Even the trailer song they've used fits the story so much, it was presented in a very romantic way. After saying those words, the title was revealed about a minute or so, I was right and made the other people at my side turn to me curious how did I know. I answered I've read it before then smiled shyly at them.

I started remembering the The Wedding and it came to me that it would be nice, if someone will also do it as a movie. I know it's going to be a great movie, maybe not like The Notebook but I know it's going to be a good one because unexpected twist and turn of the story. Remember it's the novel that started my addiction with Nicholas Sparks novels. I am loyal to his work. Whenever I think of a book that would be good in moving pictures, I also try to choose which actors would be great to play them. I've seen a lot of movies, and I love watching series. I know a lot of actors, but the people who came to my mind then is GA and DD because I like them and because I know it would be something different from the roles they've played together in the past but somehow maybe the role won't be good for them. I don't want to be biased, you know I would love them to play the role just because I like to see them together on screen again.

Last night, I don't know what made me do it. I grabbed my copy and started reading it again. I only remember the beginning and the end of the story, but the significance and the climax of the story is actually sort of, at the middle. I really felt that I need to see it. I think I've read it for less than 4 or 5 hours. I am a fast reader. I won't do anything unless I finish something I started reading. That's the way I am even before so I get to finish a lot of books immediately.

When you read any story you imagine the characters doing exactly what you're reading. It's silly but when I was reading it last night, I wasn't imagining the characters I've read before, instead the characters I imagine while reading it is DD and GA. It is so silly but I enjoyed reading it more than I did before. I brainstormed and wondered a lot if they can play the characters or if they'll look good playing it. Maybe they can. If I am going to compare the characters to DD and GA. There is a possibility. I know here I am again, talking about possibility. Anyway I think DD and Wilson has little similarities I think, as for Jane, all I can say is this, every time Wilson describes his wife in different words at the story, its like an any automatic picture or video clip of GA comes to my mind which made an impression to me and made me think that GA and Jane has lots of similarities. I am not sure about that but that's what I feel and have notice while reading the story.

I love that novel so much because of Wilson and Jane's love for each other and to their children, but I will never compare Mulder and Scully's relationship. It's different but precious too. Though I think that somehow, in a little or bigger way, I don't know, I'll say I felt that they can be compared to DD and GA's relationship towards each other. I didn't say they have a romantic relationship, so don't assume. I am referring to it as an interpersonal relationship. Regardless of the status friends, brother-sister, best of friends, whatever it is, I think it has the same character, smoothness, and complicatedness. It's funny but that's what I think.

I would really love to see The Wedding as a movie, all things considered, whoever the actors who will play it. I know it is going to be a great romantic movie wherein the characters had focused on the importance of not ceasing but to keep showing what you feel to your special someone. It is going to be a great movie to watch with family to recapture the good and bad moments and importance of it in each other's life. The best parts I really love at the story is Noah's House, I'll pay big money just to see it, feel it, and smell it even just for a second and of course the wedding itself.

The story has a very deep important meaning to me. I just started realizing it when I'm nearing the end of the story. I actually cried after reading.

So before I finish this, I wanted to leave lines from the novel that really captured and have affected me. I won't say who said it and when if you want to know, please read it. You won't regret it. If you're not interested then it's your loss.

"It's funny, but have you ever noticed that the more special something is, the more people seem to take it for granted? It's like they think it won't ever change.-Noah, The Wedding"
"It's possible for two people to fall in love all over again, even there's been a lifetime of disappointment between them.-Wilson, The Wedding"

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Platonic Relationship

Platonic Relationship

What is platonic relationship? According to plato it is a relationship between individuals of the opposite sex marked by the absence of romance or sex. To put it simply, a platonic relationship is close friendship between a man and a woman. When I was young, I remembered reading a different definition which is pure and soul full friendship between a man and a woman. Haha.. I thought it was a friendship between a priest and a nun. I'm sorry I know I was being stupid, innocent and really gullible.

I never really know what it means until I came accross my friend's research about it. Actually I've read those papers before maybe when I was in highschool I think but I didn't undertand it that much until I've found it and read it again just few weeks ago. In those papers, it didn't really defined what the term means, it just described a lot of situations between a man and a woman. I've lost those papers so I am just going paraphrased what I will remember, so far.

It's when you and your guy friend tells each other everything, ask each other for advices, when he needs a date, you'll be his date, when you need a date, he'll be your date, but you are just friends. It also said that when he has problems with the girls he wants to court or when he has problems with his family, he runs to you and vice versa.

Another instances is when your guy friend's parents ask him if he has a girlfriend, you also get to pretend in front of them as his girlfriend. You get to have the same favor if ever you need to show your parents or friends that you really got a guy they could trust. Besides its always better for them to assume that their child is going to end up with someone they know and you know for a long time. Just like the movie Made of Honor. The hard part is accepting the fact that you fell inlove with your bestfriend and confessing to her your feelings.

Now here's the interesting part for me, cause when I started to read, it reminded me of my conversation with friendster. It says when your guy friend has a girlfriend, your guy friend starts to spend more time with her, and since you are his friend, you have to step back for a while so that their girlfriend won't get jealous. As his friend, he'll know that you understand so they really don't have some explaining to do. When they finally split up with their girlfriend, they expect you to be back in their life as if nothing happened. But of course, you can never deny the weird jealous feeling.Then you try to ask your self, "we're friends and we're better off as friends why are you jealous?" honestly I've asked myself that in the past. Well the thing is if you have a guy friend that's normal. I've got used to it. Whenever friendster has a girlfriend I stay away from him for a while. I don't text how he is and if I have a problem I try to solve it myself for a while. Then if he doesn't have a girlfriend anymore, that's where I start to talk to him as long as I can. It's a cycle I've learned to dance gracefully.

Can Platonic relationship turn to a romantic one?

Yes, it actually can if both of you fell for each other. It's when you woke up in the morning, before you just see each other as friends, but now you can't see yourself without that person anymore. I've always wanted that kind of relationship but unfortunately that kind of relationship is not that easy. It has a certain of complicatedness. To tell you the truth, a lot of people has problems like that, they have feelings for each other but they are not acting on them because it might ruin their friendship. I actually know a lot of people with that kind of relationship. In highschool, and college.

Some of them have worked. Some of them didn't. I actually felt bad for my friend. Her guy friend thought she didn't love him because she stayed away from him after asking her if she loves him. The truth is she loves him too much. But he is a kind of a player. So she told me that, she doesn't want to get hurt. I don't know what he really feels for her. I don't trust him that much. I don't think he told me all the truth. So I don't really know? They were best of friends for more than a year I think, until a problem started, destroying everything and their friendship. I actually wrote a story about them which I'm still about to finish yet.

So far, marriage that have started platonicly or not but had developed in the process, is rumored to be the best way to describe the best way to describe a couple with strong bond that no one could just alter, stop, or destroy. Mostly because of they have gone through in the past and what they started to mean to each other for all the times they stood beside each other.

Platonic Relationship to Romantic Relationship example:
http://tv.msn.com/tv/emmys/most-memorable-moments/?GT1=28103
http://www.fandango.com/whenharrymetsally_v54134/summary



For those who have platonic problems, maybe this site could help you:
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dating/articles/2008/06/07/20080607friendromance.html
http://www.enotalone.com/article/1668.html
http://www.entertainmates.com/friendship/friendship_tips_009.asp
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20010901-000031.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsNK0u.M.D6ZMtjeW4VPIaVFzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20081008021922AAlFiO4