Month: March 2017

Will I Ever Fall for a Beast?

So yesterday, I finally gave in to the hype and watched the classic Beauty and the Beast. I love the story of Beauty and the Beast because it teaches us the lesson of not looking at the outer appearance to see the worth and beauty of a person, but to look for the beauty within. Stories like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Prince, where the famous line “what is essential is invisible to the eyes” came from, are just examples of the tools that strengthened my mindset that physical appearance is unimportant.

As I was watching how the love story between Belle and Beast progresses in the movie, especially in the part where they are singing “Something There,” I can’t help but wonder, is this really what true love is? Does it really start with nothing (or disgust in the case of Belle), and then you will discover a small part of a person’s character that you’ll find beautiful, and slowly it will grow into something more, until you will see nothing but the beauty of the character of the person? Or isn’t it something that starts with physical attraction, like a beautiful smile or eyes, and then you will feel your stomach flutter and your heart beat faster than usual when you’re around that person you feel attracted to?

Though I always say that character is more important to me than physical appearance, I think I still prefer the second type of love story. I want my future love story to start with physical attraction, and later I will also discover his beauty within. I’m holding on to the truth that God is gracious to give me a man with a godly character whom I also find physically attractive. I want a prince through and through, so maybe for now, I’ve decided not to settle for a prince clothed in a beast’s clothing but to wait for that prince who’s a valiant knight on a noble steed.

​Day 19. What is something about you that people would be surprised to learn

I actually don’t know what to share for this post. But thanks to the  interesting lunch conversation I had with my office yesterday, I now have an idea what to write.

Lunch time with officemates is one the things I look forward to everyday, lately. I praise God that He restored my relationships with the people in the office that I am now enjoying the time I spent with them. So yesterday, we were having our usual meal time chat and out of the blue, we ended up talking about love life and dating apps like Tinder. And then another officemate shared about her experience in using Tinder, which also made me confess that I also tried installing and  exploring the app before. I told them that I installed the app out of curiosity and also because my friends and I were talking about. After a few swipes to the right and a number of swipes to the left, I concluded that Tinder will never work for me. Because one, I am judgmental and all that when it comes to display pictures; and two, I’m not interested in starting a random chat with a stranger. So in the end, I deleted my account and uninstalled the app in my phone.

When I shared this incident to my officemates, one of them was surprised that I have tried Tinder. Knowing my preference and standards, they have never suspected me that I will install Tinder in my phone.

Anyway, so at the end of our lunchbreak, we ended up installing Tinder in our phones for some demo. After a  few swipes, I decided to uninstall the app again because I really find it scary talking to random strangers.

Day 18. If you could have a conversation with yourself in high school, what would you say?

This question is quite related to my previous post in my letter to my past, present, and future self. My previous letter was addressed to my 15-year-old self. I was in the 4th year of high school back then. So, for this challenge, let me go back a year earlier to have a conversation with my 14-year-old self in my 3rd year in high school. I actually don’t know what to say to my younger self because I can’t remember anymore what my issues were back then. So let me try again…

“Hey, Cary! I saw that. I know what, or perhaps who, you are looking at from this window.”

“Who are you?!”

“It doesn’t matter, but I know you’re staring at that guy with the blue shoes. Maybe you’re also secretly praying that you’ll share the same ride on your way back home, later.”

“How did you know that?”

“Well, been there, done that. I’m sorry to tell you, but what you’re hoping for is never going to happen, and that’s okay.”

“What about our prom next year? Isn’t he going to ask me to dance?”

“Duh, as if you care about dancing.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t.”

“But don’t worry, you’ll not end up in the all-girls section next year. Your cool adviser will find a partner for you. Anyway, that’s not the reason why I came all the way back to this distant past and brought some news about your prom. I came here to tell you a very important message, and I hope you will listen carefully.

I know you’re now starting to get anxious and feel that you don’t seem to fit in. Maybe you also feel weird that you don’t have that someone you can call a best friend. It’s okay. You’ll get by with a little help from your close friends. You are a strong girl, so you won’t need a constant somebody to lean on, especially in this current chapter of your life. Just cherish the happy moments with your high school friends because that will be the only thing that will hold you together later in life. Don’t also feel bad that no one is romantically pursuing you right now. You will thank God later for that because it will spare you from a lot of heartaches.”

“Who says that I want to be in a relationship right now?! My priority is my studies. I’m too young for that!”

“I know. But believe me, later you’ll feel envious of your classmates who have secret admirers, and you will feel insecure and unloved. So you have to keep this in mind: you are beautiful, and you are loved. So stay bubbly and carefree as you are.”

“Thanks, I think I need that. Though I still don’t understand what you are saying.”

“Later you will understand. Sorry, I have to go. You will hear again from me soon.”