The faults in "The Fault in Our Stars"

SPOILER ALERT !!!!!! This is my novice review of the movie The Fault in Our Stars, so if you haven't watched the movie you know what to do...

Another note: I have just read only 2 chapters of the book so I still have no idea what will be the climax or end of the story.

Things that I didn't like about the movie because I have a feeling that:

1) it would not be Hazel who will die first to give the movie a "twist"

2) Peter van Houten would be an a*hole. I was a bit surprised when "he" paid for their dinner but then wasn't disappointed when it turns out that he did not know that his assistant did it.

Although, another "twist" that I was thinking is that Peter did not actually replied to Augustus' email and that he just created a bogus account. So that made me smile hahaha.

3) Isaac's relationship will not last when he truly goes blind. It would be too good if his gf still stayed with him after the operation.

4)  okay, this one I think we all know. Hazel will eventually fall in love with Augustus no matter how she resist it.

5) someone close to Peter died of cancer which is why he could not talk about the book as it reminds him of that person

All others:

1) for an 18 year old, Augustus is a very deep thinker.

2) the scenes where Hazel was waiting by the window for a call or a message from Augustus is very reminiscent of Bella waiting by the window for Edward to come back

3) seriously, how did Augustus track Peter van Houten's assistant?

4) they really have to show that all the fan mails scattered in Peter's house to emphasize he doesn't care? Maybe the assistant doesn't really care too? Because if she does, the mails should be neatly tucked somewhere.

5)how did they make love without removing that oxygen hose? Hahaha

6) why is that its the girl who always have to be crying in the end? That is why I love City of Angels.

And most of all, I think the reason why I did not like the movie was because of the girl who is seating on my other side because:

1) when there is a close-up of Augustus, she moves front of her seat and keeps fiddling with her mobile phone. I think she is very tempted to take a photo of the screen.

2) she keeps talking to her boyfriend and asking what will happen on the next scene, or what she predicts will happen. What particularly annoyed me is when Augustus asked Hazel to go to the church so he could hear her eulogy for him, the girl beside me told her boyfriend "baka magppakasal na sila!"

3) she has these annoying questions like:

 - bakit di siya tinutulungan? Di ba nila alam na maysakit siya?" (This is when they are in Anne Frank's house). 

 - Sino ba yang si Anne Frank? Ah.. Yan yata ung babae sa stairway..( okay this might be acceptable because not everyone knows her) 

- Pwede na sila mag-drive kahit teenager pa lang?

- Buti pa magulang nila accepted sila, dito sa atin inde ( okay, not a question hehe)

One thing I liked about the movie is when Hazel's mother told her " it's OK to let go" when she was dying when she was younger. This actually almost made me cry. Almost! Sorry no tears from me on any of the other scenes either!

Living

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.
-Dale Carnegie

Special

I recently met a young man that to me appears to have Asperger's syndrome.  I am not a child psychiatrist so I could not definitely confirm this but as a mother of a child having "special needs", I have this strong gut feeling that he is one. I have also read quite a number or books,articles and discussion boards on kids in the spectrum (trying to understand my own kid) so I believe I can somehow see or tell the signs.
As most people with such conditions,they are often normal physically most of whom I see are actually good looking.  But when they begin to speak that is when you know something is different.  They ask endless questions, seem very fidgety,gets easily distracted and doesn't seem to care if someone is laughing at them.
It's like a dagger in my heart when his teammates would giggle, look at each other or smile sarcastically when he is asking too many questions or is very enthusiastic on a topic that to others are trivial. It has also been becoming annoying to me already that they would laugh or giggle at almost every word he says when it isn't even funny or weird at all.
I feel that way because as much as I try to avoid such thoughts, I can imagine how my child will be treated by his peers in school up to his adulthood even when he is already a professional.
But if you will think about it, shouldn't they be admired instead? They do not conform or pretend to conform to society's norms. They ask questions without thinking what others would say. How often does a "normal" person think that way? More often than not, we always ponder first if we would sound stupid or what the other person will think of us.
I read a novel by Jodi Picoult entitled "House Rules". One of his characters is a kid with Asperger's, he was suspected of killing someone because when questioned by police officers, all he can tell is the truth even if it incriminates him. When asked by his mom, he simply said that he is just following the house rule to always tell the truth and besides why shouldn't he?
Aside fron that, one more thing that I admire from them is how transparent they are with their emotions.  You could easily tell if they like what they are doing or talking about. You can see how bright their faces light up, how sweet and genuine their smiles are and I swear I could see a spark in their eyes. That to me is very heartwarming and makes them deserving to be called "special".

My husband often tells me that I prefer our kid with special needs, above are the reasons why. Aside from the fact that I believe that deep inside I am a special needs person too.

Change

Can people change? Yes, I believe so but if the change is not "true", then his/her old ways will always surface.
I believe that even if they quote Bible verses, praise God in every social network update and participate on all the religious activities but if the "change" is superficial, when you interact with them and try to "test the waters" with provoking questions or comments hell will break loose.

As the wise troll in movie Frozen said, the mind is easy to change but to change the heart is not.

Is doing what's right always good?

A story that I recently heard from an acquaintance of mine, brought me to this question. He had a motorcycle accident where he was quite badly hurt. He was trying to avoid a teenager who is riding his motorcycle and crossing the street. This acquaintance ended up quite badly hurt and had to actually go to the hospital for treatment. He said the teenager helped him to get up after the incident and begged him not to report the incident to the police as this would risk having his motorcycle impounded and since he also do not have a driving license most likely end up in more serious legal problems. The teenager however offered to help him go to the hospital but my acquaintance just said that’s it OK and he will not be reporting him to the police. I teased my acquaintance that I didn’t know that he has goodness in his heart.
 
Technically, it’s not the right thing to do, the right thing is to report the accident to the police, so that the teenager would learn his lesson, pay for the victim’s medical bills and the victim might be able to get something out from his insurance company for the damages on his motorcycle. But was it the good thing to do?
 
This reminded me of the stories of two different typhoon victims of the Ondoy in 2009 in the Philippines. Both are my officemates and quite wealthy though I do not know personally who is wealthier.
 
First story was about a woman whose house was badly hit by the typhoon that in fact the adobe walls of her house broke down and one of her cars was submerged in floodwater. Her supervisor asked her if she would need monetary assistance as the team she is in is raising funds for the team members who has been affected by the typhoon. Her response was, “although we would need a lot of money to repair our properties, there are others who need the monetary help more than we do, you can exclude me from those you would give help to.”
 
Second story was about a man who was also hit by typhoon and although his house was submerged in waist deep water, they were able to save their valuables including their cars from being destroyed. When the company sent out an email that they will be offering monetary assistance to typhoon victims if they can provide proofs (photos, barangay reports etc.) that they have been affected by the typhoon, he immediately applied. Nothing wrong there, but knowing that there is no serious damage to his property and knowing that he is quite wealthy, it left a bad taste on me.
 
 
You already probably heard the “story” about a man who did nothing wrong during his lifetime and when he died and is trying to enter heaven, God (sometimes St. Peter, gatekeeper or angel in other versions of the story) asked him, ”I know that you did nothing bad during your life, but have you done anything good?”
 

Prayers are always answered

Taken from the reflections for February 21, 2013 in the Bible diary 2013 by Fr. Paulson V. Veliyannoor,CMF, PhD

No parents would give their child a stone when she asks for bread or a snake when she asks for fish. But what if the child asks for a stone or a snake? Quite possibly, they would hand her a bread or fish and hope that once her anger and disappointment die down, she would understand.
Sometimes we adults are no better when it comes to discerning what is truly good for us. Blinded by our desires, we ask God for many things, some of which could be as harmful as stones or snakes. Thankfully, God our devoted parent, knows what is truly best for us and may choose to give us something far nobler and healthier than what we had initially asked for.
If we feel disappointed at such moments, it is good to remind ourselves that God does answer our prayers, but not always in the manner we want Him to answer but always in the manner that is most beneficial to us.
Let us trust his discernment and rest easy.

Monarchs and Viceroys

In an episode of “Lie to Me,” Dr. Lightman compares people to the Monarch and Viceroy butterflies. The Monarch butterfly and the Viceroy butterfly are nearly identical and often mistaken for each other. However, the Monarch is toxic, due to its diet of milkweed, while the Viceroy is non-toxic. Because they are so similar, a predator often mistakes one for the other and avoids both since it assumes they are poisonous.

Like butterflies, some people are Monarchs while others are Viceroy. Lessons we can take from it:

1. From a prey’s point of view, it is strategic to mimic yourself after someone more capable than yourself rather than than to dwell in self-pity and suffer in your own circumstances. Kids who are bullied need to step up and at least look tough in order to hold their own ground; the evil feeds off the weak so it is better to seem strong than not seem strong at all.  If the Viceroy just allowed itself to be a victim, then it would not have survived.

2. From a predator’s point of view, getting to know people is not black and white. Though you may infer that someone is a ‘bad person,’ there may be more than what meets the eye. Like Viceroys, people put up walls in order to defend themselves; they often lack the confidence to step out from behind their mask. When meeting people, it is important to dig deep and see someone for who they really are rather than profiling them into a stereotype.
Source: http://networkofideas.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/the-monarch-butterfly-vs-the-viceroy/