Monday, October 27, 2008

[Book Review] How to Mend a Broken Heart (by Nelson Dy)

Not what I thought it would be. I expected something general, something to really heal broken hearts of all sorts. I do know this is a Christian book.

But this thing is targeted at male nerds/dorks who are already at their mid-30s to 40s and yet haven't hooked up yet. Not applicable to me! Sadly? Well, this also applies to young teeners and 20-something guys who are already "looking." In short, this applies to BOYS, not MEN.

By nerds/dorks/boys, I meant those who do not know how to win at least one girl's heart. And that is, a girl he likes. Because low-EQ nerds/dorks could settle for someone they don't really like, and well, problems could come like flash floods in the middle of the dark night (i.e. married life). Hopefully, this book encourages low-EQ people not to be low-EQ. Ha! As if that's not difficult.

The author was broken-hearted because he did not know what to do, and he wasn't yet ready (in terms of personality, spirituality, etc.), and yet he was barking at the wrong tree. That girl wasn't the right person for her but... if he knew what to do and he was the person he should be, i.e. a good Christian man and not just a nice guy, the girl could have fallen head-over-heels for him even though he didn't have as much money as that other guy, and she would've become the best person for her. Oh well.

But, with an open mind, there are some new stuff you could learn here and there. Like the story of David and Jonathan, or Ruth and Naomi and Mara--If you don't already know their story. Or, there's this one advice at the end for guys. The book says that as The Man in the relationship, it is your task to make your partner and future wife (if not yet your current wife) be SSS. That is, Satisfied, Safe, and Spiritual. You will want to be the man she likes. If not, you shouldn't be with her! You want to provide for her. You want her to feel secure. Financially, yes. Emotionally, too. And not only from evil outside elements. Like you don't let her walk down unsafe streets. But you also make her feel safe with YOU. So you should also control your temper. And by doing that, you are leading by example. You should also lead prayers, read scripture, attend mass and go to church at least weekly - and you bring her along on the ride.

I also like the story at the end - the story about a nice, Christian couple, who had a big fight over parking... There's a moral to that story. I am not sharing the whole story so that you have some reason to buy the book for.

Nonetheless, I do not recommend this book if you're looking to mend a broken heart. Instead, if you want to pick up a few Christian teachings or two, you could get it from this book. Or, if you are a male nerd/dork (God bless you more if you are humble enough to admit that) or a young boy at heart, whether you're 13 or 30 or already dirty, buy this book. Perhaps this is something I could have used maybe 6 to 10 years back. Because although I was already 25, I didn't know better yet, and I put myself at a huge risk of getting a broken heart. And so I became broken-hearted. I was still a nerd/dork; a "little boy" who had false illusions about love brought about by varying environmental factors. Although all the while, I knew I wasn't yet good enough. I wasn't yet the man that I should have been. After then, I started reading, and those helped.

What then is better reading for male adults (i.e. 25 and older for Filipinos)? These three books are better than HTMABH by Nelson Dy:

1. Wild At Heart by John Eldredge
2. For Men Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Jeff Feldhahn
3. The Bible by GOD

Monday, October 06, 2008

[Musical Reviews] West Side Story (2008, Philippines) versus Avenue Q (2007, Philippines)

What's a musical made of? One of the producers of this West Side Story said that they have trainers for singing, acting, and dancing.

What can I say about this West Side Story? Christian Bautista is a good singer. That's it.

One word comes to mind. Stiff.

But, he's just the money maker in the group (to appeal to the masses). I would think if he does this more often, obviously he can make it big time... in acting and dancing. Of course, remaking popular ballads is the sure money maker. So doing this was a little bit of a risk for him. Kudos to him.

Anyway, I think the problem with Christian Bautista (I saw the very first showing on opening night) was that he was concentrating on his vocals. I would have thought that in stage musicals, the singing would be secondary (i.e. it comes naturally) to the actor-dancers.

Joanna Ampil of course is a given, though now I think I would've loved to see how Kyril (correct spelling?) did her Maria.

By the way, what does "Teodoro" mean? I know that's Spanish for Theodore. But apparently, it was being used to mean something like "goodbye" or "see you again soon" or "I love you."

We got West Side Story tickets for just P500 and well, I saw Avenue Q by a different production outfit and starring Aiza Seguerra as Gary Coleman also for the same amount. It was worth all 50,000 centavos for Avenue Q. I cannot say the same for West Side Story.

Now talking about Aiza Seguerra. Through Avenue Q, I thought most Filipino actors are better theatre actors and less of film actors. I did say most Filipino actors. I think Aiza is one of those.

In any case, I liked having to watch these two and I would love to see more from Filipinos.

By the way, maybe it mattered that I watched West Side Story at the Meralco Theatre, where you can really see how short the actors are to be playing Caucasian characters (and you have larger expectations about the sound system - which failed). For Avenue Q, I saw it at the RCBC (Makati) Theatre which was much smaller than Meralco - but for the scale I think it was just right. :-D

Oh, I guess what makes West Side Story worth P500 is the live music played by... The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra? I forgot who. I guess they're the saving grace of the night (and the show).

Problem with Avenue Q - there's a little bit of sex there although it was hidden behind puppets and symbols. So it's not for everyone.

If you're an adult, Avenue Q is very entertaining, I give it a rating of 4 (must-watch!). If you do not yet have the mind of an adult, you might just say bad things about Avenue Q, so steer clear of it.

If you're not deaf, West Side Story is a 3; a must watch for theatre/stage/play/musicals lovers or for those who can afford it. Not worth it.

[Movie Reviews] Adam Sandler x2

There is something about Adam Sandler movies.

On the surface, they are usually comedies. In Shakespearean parlance,
that is true. A play (in this case, a film) is usually a comedy (happy
ending) or a tragedy (people die, or something not desireable happens at
the end).

But like many good plays or movies and novels, comedies usually have a
theme - and a "moral lesson" to wit.

The one Adam Sandler movie that I recall - or actually the one line that
I've heard from one Adam Sandler movie that I always recall - is from
Big Daddy. It goes something like, "When you're in love, you change
schedules."

So true. I mean behind all the funny lines and sometimes slapstick
comedy, there's that lesson in Big Daddy. And that's just one. But if
you can recall from a very old prustrations post, I said something to
that effect: You might love basketball and you might be playing
basketball every Tuesday night, but when you have a family already or
for example when a parent is very ill, you might be playing less
basketball and all, and it's not that you love basketball less, but it's
just that other priorities come up. You might love your work, but when
Love comes, your work is still as important but it may take a back seat
and settle for a silver medal.

Now there's this other Adam Sandler movie which I expected to be a
comedy - a romantic comedy, in fact. 50 First Dates. Oh, from the
title alone, it feels like the perfect, feel-good date movie. I was
wrong.

Again, behind all the funny lines, it is actually a drama. It is a
must-see (a 4) on my scale, whereas Big Daddy might be for movie-lovers
only (a 3 on my scale). The theme of the movie? True love. By the dad
and by the brother. And by the former-playboy lover. Could you imagine
yourself loving someone like Lucy? Characters like Lucy are very rare
so it is difficult to answer that question. Instead, look at your
partner or your friend or your mother or father or your boss or whoever.
What "flaws" does he/she have? And can you live with that day-to-day?
I mean sure, if it is something that needs to be changed, you do
something about it. But what do you do? How do you do it? And what if
you can't change it?

The thing is, I like these movies that surprise me. This is one of
them. Go surprise yourself also, if you haven't yet seen this. :-)