THE NOTEBOOK.

I’m starting to get cheesy and romantic again. Probably the effect of reading romances. The works of Nicholas Sparks never failed to hit me somehow, especially the Notebook. I’ve finish reading it minutes ago. Actually, I’ve watched the film before but didn’t fully comprehend. I found it boring at first but it got me almost to tears in the end. LOL~! I remembered some scenes though, when Allie visited Noah and when they hugged in the rain. I don’t remember watching Allie suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Btw, I do think Katy Perry fits the role of Allie. I imagined her doing it especially in her music video of “Thinking of You”.x) But she’s not blonde. LOL! Anyway, I only got the full story when I read the ebook, the original version. It was somewhat erotic but sentimental at the same time. Full of emotions but not too graphic in detail. Well, it just got the perfect blend. What can I say? I also noticed how he narrated a love story spanning almost a lifetime in just 122 pages. It’s like magic! I didn’t noticed the transition from their childhood to their 30’s and before I knew it, they were already in their last days. I admire how he was able to just highlight the events vividly without leaving any questions unanswered. Okay, so maybe I did have some questions back then but he answered it in a way that makes you ponder for awhile. I mean, he gives you hints but not direct answers. It gives it more sense, more meaning and story. Overall, it was good. I liked it and it made me realize some things…

1. There’s more to life than success and money
Probably this is the reason why I hate reading books like “How to make your money grow”. I hate finance but I do love to write. It’s the passion that drives me. It struck me when Allie was fighting over the thought of Noah giving her passion but Lon providing her stability and compatibility; status over real happiness; being a socialite over being an anonymous artist.
In the end, it’s up to you. Whether you’ll choose to grow old rich but weary or live in lowliness but full of contentment.

2. "You know, the ghost, the memory. I’ve been watchin' you, workin' day and night, slavin' so hard you barely have time to catch your breath. People do that for three reasons. Either they crazy, or stupid, or tryin' to forget. And with you, I knew you was tryin' to forget. I just didn't know what.” –Gus

It was the reason. The memories that keeps on flooding back to him. I realized that a person who suddenly becomes workaholic tries to avoid something, to escape reality which, most of the time, is true.

3. “How would it feel, I remember wondering, to be always together, yet forever apart” -–Noah

It’s like the bestfriend-inlove-with-friend situation. You call him/her bestfriend yet deep inside you want more than friends and you are left to wonder how on earth you will confess everything. Yeah! Hard, I know. Ouch naman. Kamusta naman ako? HAHAHA! You’re always together but the relationship seems to be purely platonic. Nothing intimate. That’s the problem.

4. Love surpasses limits

It made the impossible, possible and made one month, one year. That’s what I’ve noted in the works of Nicholas Sparks. Love always interferes. It works magic. It will always find a way.

5. There will always be one, only one choice for you to choose.

“He cares for his patients, he says, and must come here when called. He says he has no choice, but this makes him a man torn by contradiction. He wants to be a doctor completely devoted to his patients and a man completely devoted to his family. He cannot be both, for there aren’t enough hours, but he has yet to learn this…which will he choose or whether, sadly, the choice will be made for him”
--Noah, seeing Dr. Bernham.

There will always be only one passion for you, probably the other are just minors. It’s like you can have multiples of girlfriend/boyfriends but there will always be that only one you will forever cherish; you can only be dedicated to one.
In terms of responsibility, I mean work vs. personal life, you can only choose one. It’s either you will be the best husband or the best lawyer in town. That’s the same with profession. You cannot excel in two fields. You cannot be a doctor and a lawyer at the same time nor can I be a good Editor-in-chief without being an irresponsible CAT officer. LOL~! I hope you get the picture.x) It’s all about setting priorities.

6. “I love you and I always have”

This, probably, was the line mostly said. It’s a bout first love. As a saying goes, “First love never dies”. But I doubt it. I dunno. I believe that first love is not the most fascinating feeling one will experience, rather, it is true love. But if you’ve happened to have encountered both in a single person, men! How lucky are you?

7. Having no interaction doesn’t always mean nothing’s going around.

“We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken us a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking. This is the great paradox”
--Noah.

That explains it all. Enough said.

8. “Maybe we’ve lived a thousand lives before this one and in each of them we’ve found each other. And maybe each time, we’ve been forced apart for the same reason. That means that this goodbye is both a goodbye for the past ten thousand years and a prelude to what will come….We will find each other again, and maybe the stars will have changed, and we will not only love each other in that time but for all the times we’ve had before.”
--Noah, addressing to Allie

It makes me wonder if there really is life after death and destiny. Up to now, I am still puzzled. I cannot decipher how to sort this out. It seems to say only one thing: Love. Maybe love is not meant to be decoded nor understood; it should be felt.

9. “I’m here because this is where I’m supposed to be. It’s not complicated. Both you and I are enjoying ourselves. Don’t dismiss my time with you, it’s not wasted. It’s what I want. I sit here and we talk and I think to myself, what could be better than what I am doing now?”
--Allie, having Alzheimer’s, talking to her forgotten husband.

While reading this, I couldn’t help myself but smile. I can’t help but think about the complexities of life.

“When you love someone, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise, the moment just passes you by”
--My Bestfriend’s Wedding

What I’m trying to say is that if we like someone, why don’t we just say and prove it. Why wait for tomorrow if you have today? You’re not ready? When will you be ready? When will be that time? You’re afraid? Afraid of rejection? You have that fear. Then, how will you know? Don’t worry; there are plenty of people like you. You’re not alone. You have me, ‘cause I have the same problem *wink* That’s why I don’t know how I came up with what I just said. LOOL~! I also fear the same.

That 122-page ebook taught me a lot. I guess I’ll be reading some more.



Lovelots,