When Film Fuses with Art

Being a media arts graduate, movies are something very interesting to me. But when asked what my favorite among all of them is, I find myself mentioning only one movie, and that is What Dreams May Come. There are just so many scenes that can translate to a marvelous painting, actually, the ENTIRE movie does! I have always liked watching Robin Williams’ films, but this one definitely caught me.

With a powerhouse cast that includes Robin Williams, Max Von Sydow and Cuba Gooding, Jr., the plot depicts the story of a man’s realization after his untimely death that his heaven resembles one of his wife’s magnificent paintings. Chris Neilson (Robin Williams) is eventually advised of his wife, Annie’s death, and begins a quest to go through Hell to get her back as “suicides go to Hell”.

Vincent Ward successfully delivers the film by merging the story of a skilled novelist and the artistic perceptions of an expert painter. Bringing to life a story of a Love that conquers even death in the brightest of colors and the most dramatic methods. For people who have a great appreciation of paintings and a passion for stories dripping with emotion, this film is a winner.

Phoenix Sunset

One late afternoon, she walked along the bay with a friend. It was the fairest of days when the wind was gentle and the skies were beginning to be painted with streaks of gold, red, orange and yellow. The clouds looked no more like thin feathers laying upon an abstract piece of painting.

In front of them was a clear paved walkway, a bench waiting at the end. It was his first time to have stepped on Philippine soil. It was his first time breathing the air she always breathed in. It was his first time to ever hold her tiny hands in his.

"There has always been something I wanted to show you..." said the girl with a smile.

"What is it?"

"It's not yet here..."

"You never told me your ring size."

Quietly, she ripped off a piece of loose thread from her shirt, and tied it around her left ring finger. She held up her hand with a smile she was always fond of giving him and replied,

"...there...that should do for now...hmm?"

She looked over his shoulder and added, "oh wait...there it is... close your eyes."

"Why? I don't want to!"

"Just close them..." she said with a laugh,

"Make me."

"Fine." She stood behind him and put both her small hands over his eyes.

He did not understand why he needed to be told to close his eyes when all he had to do was turn around and look. He kept tugging at her wrists, asking her to take her hands off his eyes.

"Just wait." she said calmly.

He kept his hands clasped at her wrists even after she took them off. In front of his eyes, laid the first ever Philippine sunset he has ever seen...that of which looked more like a magnificent painting breathed into life. Before his eyes was an image of what seemed to be a depiction of perfect symmetry, as the perfect roundness of the sun was clearly visible, in yellow and orange hue that did not in any way hurt his eyes, about to lay on a bed of cerulean waters. It seemed like a portrayal of the sun leaving behind a trace of light for that one moon he has often sought but seldom reached.

In the sky flew the flocks of seagulls, and the steady shifting of paper thin clouds...

He pulled his hands down causing her to move her head closer to his, and in the softest voice he heard her whisper... "Isn't she beautiful?"

Leaning his head back to look up and into her eyes and see a reflection of the sunset from them, he replied:

"Yes. She IS."

Love Not Just The Love But the Lover

WRITTEN ORIGINALLY BY MARY KIMBERLY DARVIN

Dated October 24, 2009

Love not the eyes but the look they give,
Love not the skin but the touch it brings
Love not the voice but the sound it makes,
Love not the kiss but the affection it carries
Love not the embrace but the safety it implies.

Love not the touch but the sincerity it means
Love not the words but the truth they carry
Love not the presence but the existence it proves
Love not the laughter but the mirth it brings
Love not the hugs but the passion they embody.

Love not the frown but the sadness that proves them real
Love not the tears but how they fall from their cheek
Love not the times when he puts his head on your shoulder but the trust he has that brings him to do so
Love not his cries but the authenticity of his feelings
Love not his mind but the thoughts of you that make him in love with you.

Love not the times when he forbids to do things but his sense of protectiveness for you
Love not the times when he says no but the times that shows how much he cares
Love not the times when you bicker and fight but the times that prove you have complimenting ideas
Love not the many times he says he loves you, but the many times he means every word.
Love not the many times he says he cares for you, but the many times he does little things to show you how it is so.

Love not the way he asks if you're okay, but the way he worries when you are ill.
Love not the way he loves you the same despite the distance, but how he tries to bridge that distance
Love not the times he tells you of his stories, but the tremendous trust he has on you to let you hear them
Love not the way you met but how far you have come since then
Love not what already is, but what can be.

Love not the way he says your name, but the sense of longing that shows every time he does
Love not the many times you make him smile, but how the smile streaks across his face
Love not the many times he calls, but how he sounds when he hears your voice
Love not his mind but his heart,
Love not just his soul, but his spirit as well.

- Walking on Snow 2008


Author's note: Special thanks to those who remain unseen till now, yet continue to change lives the best way anyone could imagine.

original note can also be found at:http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=162211639925

I have been sleepless for a couple of days now. I've been stressed out by work, with the computer at my workstation threatening to malfunction and my laptop not being able to open it because apparently it was empty. Even made me cry. XD LOL This is a WonderWoman with shallow tears, sadly. XD But this is not the reason why I write this note. I miss being a real writer. I miss being able to write about myself and what's been happening in my crazy third chance at life.

However what I am about to write of is not only meant to pertain to me, but to fellow people who could probably be in the same situation as I am. After all, we all tend to tell ourselves that we are alone and no one can fully understand us, but actually, we are not.

I believe there has always been an unending rift between friendships and relationships. They clash everytime. Sure, friendships stay often just as friendship, but the bond is never lost...the affection is always there, the laughs never fade. Relationships go to many different levels. But at times, relationships gone wrong cause two individuals to become strangers to each other...the idea of regret keeps haunting... the "should have, would have, could have" situations are everpresent.

Sure, I can admit it was wreckless of me to care for people so far away. I agreed to befriend this one person whose identity still undeniably remains a mystery to me. Of all people ME. And to think that I seem to be the only person ever to remain as patient towards him as I have always been. I chose to remain patient, because I thought maybe I could get him to see things in a different light. My recent brush with death had blessed me with this ability to see good in people in an instant. I knew there was something good in this person and it was just waiting to be brought out.

Almost two years later, and still not a single smile from him. Is it really that difficult to give someone who you say you care about a simple photograph with a real smile in it? Does it really have to come to a point where you start calling the friends idiots? (OH NO YOU DIDN'T!!!) If there is one big mistake you can make, it's calling her friends idiots, because by doing so, it is the same with calling HER an idiot as well.

Naturally, people protect their friends. I know I would do the same if it were a friend that was in my current position. Naturally they will doubt, they will wonder. But it is not because they don't like you. It is for the sole reason that they don't want their friend to get hurt. Actually, the friends are the ones you can use as "bridges" to that person, the least you could do is also get along with them and get them to approve of you too. There is no one that can convince a person other than his family and friends because that's who that person trusts the most.

Naturally, when you protect someone, you don't let people say bad things about the other person. It is natural that she will fight for you because it hurts whenever she hears people doubting people she cares about. So don't go saying, "I don't understand why you have to defend me when we both know I didn't do anything wrong." If it had been a feisty girl, she would have even said, and quoting Edward Cullen in Twilight (because it really does fit), "CAN'T YOU JUST THANK ME AND GET OVER IT?!" XD But when you go saying that her friends are idiots, how distant do you think she can possibly feel from you? Would you rather have someone who fights for you or someone who lets people say whatever they want to say and spread false things about you?

Does it have to come to a point wherein you make her feel more like a shock absorber everytime you get mad...and still call her those petnames you fondly use for her? Is it really necessary for you to try to seclude her from her friends or feel jealous towards them just because she seems to laugh or smile more when she is with them? Is it right to say "there are promises you can TRY to keep"?

I, for one, think that promising should come AFTER trying to see if you can do it or not. What is the purpose of making promises if you are not sure you can fulfill them? Promises are not something you TRY to keep. Promises are something you DO. Breaking a promise should be the last resort. But then if you're asked of something small and you promise, then it gives the other a notion that you WILL do what you say. The best example I could possibly think of as an acceptable reason for breaking a promise is that from the Armaggedon movie when Bruce Willis had to break his promise to his daughter that he was coming home! XD

When we look at relationships as single people, it all seems so wonderful. Having someone to talk to all the time, a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on or someone to spend your days with. But maybe it is about time we try to look at friendships from a different angle as well. In great friendships, you still have someone to talk to all the time, you always have a helping hand and a shoulder to cry on to, you have someone to hang out with all the time and share laughs and many more things because the level of closeness had grown over the years. Sometimes, it is better to be in great friendships than messy relationships.

In the end, the most important thing is that you are happy. Life is too short to be wasted on sadness. Live like you'll die tomorrow. :)

As the elders always said, "the more you look for love, the more it will hide from you....but when you don't look for it, that is when it will come at the most unexpected time." And as the Spice Girls used to say "If you want to be my lover, you got to get with my friends...make it last forever, friendship never ends." Who would have known they were using words of wisdom in those songs?! XD

Heart Anthem 2009

Light as the wind your fingers feel intertwined with mine tonight
Looking up at the many stars with an empty space at my side
Wishing I had you standing by me as we witness the stars together
I struggle to find my shooting star for me to be able to wish for you.

Often I wonder if you look at the sky the same time I also do
If you can see the many stars that symbolize the many times I want to say I love you
Continuously counting on the winds to carry my embraces for you
I struggle to find my shooting star so I can wish that my wishes come true.
----
A meteor shower, I stand alone tonight
With the rain of stars I wish it will not stay that way for long
When diamonds decide to descend from the heavens I found myself wishing,
Wishing someday I will see my missing half, You.
Hoping I can hold your hand, the next time the heavens cry.
----
Clear as songs your words are to me
Vivid as movies I make in my mind, your stories are to me
Often I wonder if I can write a story as beautiful as yours
Often I wonder if I can compose a song as melodic

Often I wonder if you look at the sky the same time I also do
If you can see the many stars that symbolize the many times I want to say I love you
Continuously counting on the winds to carry my embraces for you
I struggle to find my shooting star so I can wish that my wishes come true.
----
A meteor shower, I stand alone tonight
With the rain of stars I wish it will not stay that way for long
When diamonds decide to descend from the heavens I found myself wishing,
Wishing someday I will see my missing half, You.
Hoping I can hold your hand, the next time the heavens cry.

----------
Tell me you will be with me, give warmth to the freezing hands.
Oh my angel, I miss and love you most dearly
Let your voice become my teacher, my path, my guide
For it is no longer that this feeling I will be able to hide.

A Martyr, I Have Become

As there is the sun for the moon
A flower for the bountiful soil
A drop of tear for every eye
A picture to paint for every artist
There is a martyr for an angel.

As there are lyrics for every song
A word for every story
A sound to break the silence
Companionship to end the solitude
There is a martyr for an angel.

As there is light for utmost darkness
Color for all the black and white
As there is sweetness for the bitter
As there is forgiveness for the unforgiven
There is a martyr for every angel.

As there is warmth for the cold
Freedom for the held back
As there is guidance for the lost
A lesson for every student
There is a martyr for an angel.

As there is assurance for the weary
A drop of water for every thirst
As there is a morsel for every hunger
A cure for every sickness
There is a martyr for an angel.

The martyr wonders when she will be granted of her plea
Don't wait until everything is gone before you see
Let not so many broken promises she will have to endure
Before you take her in your arms with her love so pure.

Before it is gone, be the sunlight to her life
Symbolize the flower she toiled hard to protect
Let every tear that falls from her eyes be of laughs from you
Become the perfect picture she had always wished to draw
Realize how much of a martyr she is for you.

Let her make your name every lyric for her every song
Let her make your name every word of her every story
Become the sound that will break the silence of her mind
Let her be with you when she is with no one
Realize how much of a martyr she is for you.

Before it is over, become the light of her life
The color that will forever change her perception
Let her embrace you with all sweetness when you are at your lowest
Let her forgive those who continue to doubt you
Realize how much of a martyr she is for you.

Become her beloved warmth when she is cold
Be her freedom, her happiness, her dearest
Guide her when she is lost
Become her most prized lesson as she grows with you
Realize how much of a martyr she is for you.

Before she leaves, be her assurance when her heart is weary
Become the solution to her thirst for purpose
Satisfy her hunger in finding her life's meaning
Become her cure even if she can never be healed
Realize how much of a martyr she has become for you.

Love Not Just the Love But the Lover

Love not the eyes but the look they give,
Love not the skin but the touch it brings
Love not the voice but the sound it makes,
Love not the kiss but the affection it carries
Love not the embrace but the safety it implies.

Love not the touch but the sincerity it means
Love not the words but the truth they carry
Love not the presence but the existence it proves
Love not the laughter but the mirth it brings
Love not the hugs but the passion they embody.

Love not the frown but the sadness that proves them real
Love not the tears but how they fall from their cheek
Love not the times when he puts his head on your shoulder but the trust he has that brings him to do so
Love not his cries but the authenticity of his feelings
Love not his mind but the thoughts of you that make him in love with you.

Love not the times when he forbids to do things but his sense of protectiveness for you
Love not the times when he says no but the times that shows how much he cares
Love not the times when you bicker and fight but the times that prove you have complimenting ideas
Love not the many times he says he loves you, but the many times he means every word.
Love not the many times he says he cares for you, but the many times he does little things to show you how it is so.

Love not the way he asks if you're okay, but the way he worries when you are ill.
Love not the way he loves you the same despite the distance, but how he tries to bridge that distance
Love not the times he tells you of his stories, but the tremendous trust he has on you to let you hear them
Love not the way you met but how far you have come since then
Love not what already is, but what can be.

Love not the way he says your name, but the sense of longing that shows every time he does
Love not the many times you make him smile, but how the smile streaks across his face
Love not the many times he calls, but how he sounds when he hears your voice
Love not his mind but his heart,
Love not just his soul, but his spirit as well.

Invisible Hulk

Sometimes it makes me wonder, why I am always so different from others, everything always seems to go the way they always plan it without even having to lift a finger. When I look at other women, I see these beautiful tall girls with slender figures, men at their disposal. A blessing in a complete package, you may say. But I never see myself as such. XD I know it's crazy. But hey, I'm a media arts graduate, I have the right to be crazy. Hahaha!

When I was young, I was never the type that was into boys. Yes, I had many guy friends, but never a boyfriend. I even remember the looks on the faces of those girls back in early high school whenever the guys always approached me to talk. Most of the time, it is about videogames. What can I say? It's not because I choose to flirt. God, I don't even HAVE the guts to flirt because I always thought of myself as "not good enough". I was a low-profiler. Still am actually. It was for the most innocent reason of growing up without a sister. So the person I found myself growing up with and being influenced by was my older brother.

My mother would ask me, when I had grown a chest and lost my baby fats (hehehe), about boys. I can only tell her of my friends, and the ocassional couple of suitors who I thought were crazy enough to even like me. But never of any serious relationships. I never saw it as a necessity when I was growing. My friends were into guys, the typical crushes, admiration of boybands (we all had our versions), but it always made me wonder...What WILL it be like when that time ever does come for me...although it unlikely will?

I love stories. I never saw having a relationship as a necessity because I was raised by old fashioned parents. But ironically, I used to read a lot of love stories. I guess I was contented with the sense of wonder. I always wondered...

"Heck...Mary Jane keeps pushing Peter Parker away not knowing he is Spider Man."

"Lois Lane never freaking recognizes Clark Kent as Superman with his thick black-rimmed glasses on."

"The Silver Surfer can't be with the one he loves because he needs to keep serving in order to spare her."

"Rogue can't kiss her freaking boyfriend because she'll suck the life out of him if she ever does."

"Cyclops can't look at Jean Grey without his head gear because he'll melt her to death if he takes it off."

"Bruce Banner can't keep himself from turning into a green monster without Betty Ross keeping him sane."

Lo and behold, one unlikely person decides to cross paths with mine and decided to change my life, my perception of myself and gain appreciation for people like him. It has been a year yet I have never seen his face with my own eyes. However, he continues to change my days the best way I could have ever imagined anyone could.


But sometimes I wish I was like Mary Jane...for the simple reason that she gets to hang out with Peter Parker and needs not to worry of the increasing number of people doubting if he is real. Because everyone knows he is. Not only is Peter Parker a friend during the day and a guardian at night. She gets to lie down beside him and give her undivided time to listen to his stories, of how simple yet adventurous his life has become, not only in pursuit of her but with how his life has changed since then.

Sometimes I wish I was like Lois Lane...for the simple reason that she can see his awkwardness and still appreciate him for it when he is not in his super hero form. Because she gets to spend time with him at work and have someone to continually watch over her. He flies to her aid when she is in need. Forever a friend, a protector and a lover. Sometimes I wish I was her, because she sees the sense of tenderness in his eyes when he looks into hers...



But most of the time, I wish I was like Betty Ross...not only for the simple reason that she gets to work and be with Bruce almost every day of her life, but she is there...to remind him that she finds him beautiful no matter how frightening he can get when he transforms. She is not afraid to be near him, no matter what the form, she has the freedom to run the back of her hand on his cheek....to watch him fall asleep and be there when he is in pain.

She is there to remind him that the world's perception of his physicality does not matter, because he knows that she knows who he really is inside. She is there to level his fears, to help with his frustrations, to be there when he needs her.












He is my truest friend...my guardian angel...my fictionally true SpiderMan...my unseen SuperMan...my Invisible Hulk