Welcome to the heavens

Would you like to take an adventure? If so, try reaching the place where I was born and nurtured into being. But in order to reach my place, you must follow these simple guidelines and directions I have for you.
From the City of Tagbilaran, take the highway eastward bound to Jagna-Ubay. Your journey will be smooth sailing because this highway has completely undergone a road widening courtesy of Hanjin Constructions. Then you will pass the following towns: Baclayon, Alburquerque, Loay, Lila, Dimiao, Garcia-Hernandez, and Jagna. After 15 minutes of driving from the Poblacion of Jagna, you will notice at the left side a road sign, You Are Now Leaving the Calamay Country of Jagna. This signifies the boundary of Jagna and Duero and it means that you are now in my town, 72 kilometers from the City of Tagbilaran
You will cross a concrete bridge as you enter the portals of Duero. Just continue driving for about 15 minutes and you will reach the Immaculate Conception parish church. This church at your left side was painted blue and white just last year. Beside the parish church stands Immaculate Academy, a catholic institution where I spent my high school days. Opposite to it is Duero Central Elementary School. A crossing follows this; then a series of houses and business establishments before you reach Duero Public Market at the left side of the road. From Duero Public Market, just count three alleys at your left before you take your left turn. At the right side of the third alley, you will see a concrete purok painted yellow with shades of red. You will also see a two-storey concrete residential building with a concrete fence at the third alley’s left side.
From the third alley, take the left road. Beware, this road is not cemented or asphalted. It is initially at level with the highway, then it goes down as it passes some rice fields, and then it goes up passing small huts, houses, some coconut trees, kaingin and other vegetation. Generally you will have a hard time driving because it is an uphill drive with an average angle of inclination of 37 degrees. The road is even muddy during rainy days.
You will feel a bit of relief upon reaching a wooden bridge because the road is less uphill after the bridge. You are now entering the bounds of Sitio Bugang. This time you have successfully climbed the first mountain and at the left side of the road you will have a panoramic view of the sea and the town below.
You will just go straight ahead until you reach the Bugang basketball court standing adjacent to a primary school. The school is very much conspicuous for it is the only building having a fully concrete material. Then you will proceed driving and beware this time, you will be passing Calvary as you pass the most difficult part of the road leading to my place. This road has a slope of 45 degrees and has large stones at the middle. I guess any taxi or van would have a difficult time passing this way.
Then you will take another curvy path that resembles a snake. You are now traveling on roads on mountain sides. Just continue driving until you come to a junction which is the center of Barangay Duay, the barangay that precedes ours. One path going up is cemented while the other is not cemented. Take the uncemented path and expect another difficult road. You will pass a cemented road 10 meters in length in a curvy path; then another rough and curvy road; and another cemented road 20 meters in length. After this cemented road, you will encounter another junction: one going downward is cemented while the other going upward is not cemented. Take the upward path and after a few minutes you will notice at the left side of the road a road sign that reads: Welcome to Payao.
You are now entering the heavens as you could feel the change in temperature. It is very evident that this place is colder than any other place in the province since it is elevated. You can hear the singing of the birds and you can see lots of trees along the sides of the road. Just go straight ahead but watch out for alleys at your left side. The first alley that you will see at the left side will bring you to the pride of Payao - the Payao Lovers Lane. It is a very nice place overlooking the towns of Gindulman, Jagna, and Anda. The place also offers a panoramic view of the sea and the island of Camiguin. Then, just few meters from this first alley comes a second alley, a cemented path that is going downward. This is the circumferential road of Payao. Now, take this curvy road.
From that junction of the second alley, you will pass six houses before reaching another junction: one going downwards and another upward. Take the upward path and after a few minutes you will see houses. At the left side of the road, the first house built with a firewall and a green steel gate is my residence. The house has a small sari-sari store and it is built lower than the level of the road. This is because Payao is basically a mountain and the residents just flatten some parts of it.
Here, you could have a glimpse of the sea below although it is partly hidden by trees growing profusely at the back of our house. If you spend your night here, when you wake up the following day you will see morning dew and fog due to the coldness of the place. Here, heaven is within reach because for me, this place is heaven in itself – uphill, elevated, cool, simple and peaceful.
I will be hoping for your visit and may you have a good time as you spend your time in my heavens.

The Rolling Stone

Life is beautiful. It is full of surprises that make us appreciate the beauty of living. We never lose in life; we always gain something out of it. Whenever we have bad experiences, we gain lessons that could help us grow to be more than what we are. Whenever we have good experiences, we gain memories that linger deep within our soul. If we try to look back to the making of our history unfolding before our very eyes, we would say that life indeed is beautiful.
Looking back, I never thought I could go this far. Now, I am almost celebrating my silver birthday anniversary, but I still feel young at heart. Despite all the ups and downs I have met, I still bravely face life with all the vigor. I could still remember every moment which formed me to become what I am now.
My mother told me that I was a blessing to her. She never had a great deal of pain when she delivered me into this world on November 8, 1982. Moreover, during my younger years, she found me gentle; I just slept soundly in the crib so she could do her other works. I just cried when I got wet and hungry. I didn’t even have a slight sickness when I was young. Such things might explain why I am my mother’s favorite.
I was raised up in a religious family composed of six. I was taught to have faith in God by my parents who served as lay ministers in our parish. My father earned his living by driving our jeepney while my mother managed our small sari-sari store. As a family, we lived a life of simplicity with my two sisters, Shella and Grace, and my brother Christopher.
When I was young, our parents told us to be respectful. Thus kissing the hands of the elders had been my habit. Aside from that, my mother also taught me how to read and sing when I was four years old.
When I was six, I was sent to Payao Elementary School to have my formal education. All throughout my elementary years, I was the consistent first placer in the honor roll. I had many memorable experiences during my elementary years. Some of them were good, others were bad but I treasure them all. I could still remember those times when I always got pads of paper, loads of candies and chocolates as I perfected our exams. Moreover, I also learned to be thrifty. As a matter of fact, there were times when I did not spend my daily allowance and saved out of selling bananas and guavas in school.
When I was in Grade III, my grandmother told me that she wanted me to become a priest someday in exchange of my uncle who answered the call of married life. I just agreed to her without much thought. Thus, I began to attend mass every Sunday. I even led rosaries whenever the Birhen sa Barangay visited near our home. Moreover, I always had the perfect attendance during the Flores de Mayo every May.
After graduating elementary as class valedictorian, I was enrolled in the catholic institution of Immaculate Academy in the town of Duero. I chose the first section, St. Therese where almost all the valedictorians of every elementary school in Duero were enrolled. Hence, there was a stiff competition in the class. Sometimes I felt somewhat inferior because I came from a far-flung barrio. Despite that, as the school year ended I proved my worth because I was ranked as second honors in our class next to the principal’s daughter. I gave my best during high school; thus my talents were honed and developed, my sense of responsibility was enhanced, and my knowledge on many things was augmented. It was also the time when I became more active not only in the academic sphere but also in extracurricular activities.
When I was in fourth year, we had a subject on computers. I was very much fascinated with this thing; thus I yearned to learn more about it. On the other hand, many people told me that probably I would become rich in the future because I had the guts, the brain, and the attitude needed to be successful. Moreover, I had a yearning to lift my parents from poverty. So after graduating high school, instead of entering the seminary, I decided to pursue my college education with the course Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering at University of Bohol. Because of that, I caused grief to my grandmother who always wanted to have a priest in the family.
My college life was smooth sailing at first. I was even included in the Dean’s List. But influenced by some of my friends and classmates, I started to skip classes and drink liquors. From then, my life became a mess. My grades gradually became lower and I failed to maintain the scholarship which I was enjoying during my first year in college. I was very much discouraged, and my life seemed to have no proper direction. I yearned to find meaning in my existence,
My search for life meaning was answered when I was elected as PYM moderator in our parish in the summer of 2001. As a moderator, I was sent to attend recollections and seminars in the diocese so that I could re-echo them in our parish. One time while I was attending a seminar, I was touched by the talk of the speaker. That gave me the impetus to pursue my dream of becoming a priest. Thus in the year 2002, I took the entrance examination at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary. Luckily I passed but I was discouraged upon knowing that I needed to be financially equipped to study in the seminary. Thus I was not able to pursue my dream of becoming a priest.
The following school year, I still continued my study at University of Bohol. Because engineering course focuses more on mathematics which was not my favorite subject, I shifted course to Bachelor in Psychology.
After a semester, my parents told me that they could not anymore afford to send me to school since our jeep was already worn out and my sister was already a graduating education student at Holy Name University. So, I stopped schooling and helped my parents at home. I even volunteered to be the conductor of our jeep. That job was very tough because the roads were very dusty and the temperature outside was very hot. As a conductor, I found out that it was very tiring to do manual jobs such as carrying sacks of rice, palay, copra and other things under the heat of the sun.
When my sister graduated in college, all the savings of our family were exhausted. I had no more chance to continue my studies, so I decided to go to Manila to find a job. I had an uncle there who had his own house somewhere in Cubao. So, together with my younger brother, I went to Manila. Left with no choice, I stayed at our uncle’s house. I thought Manila was a heaven but I was disappointed to know the reality that it was not. It was only good to be there if you had the money; but if you had none, it was hell. It was very difficult looking for a job in this place especially if you had no course completed or any backer to assist. We applied for many jobs in the city. There was even a time that we had to walk miles to reach the company only to be told that we would just wait for their call. We had also applied for a janitorial position, service crew in a restaurant, and others. But all of these job applications were futile.
We stayed for almost three months in our uncle’s house without a job and we were very much dependent on him. Because of such, his wife became indignant to us up to the point that she almost refused to feed us. Driven by shame, we grabbed an opportunity to work as safety consultant.
Our work as a safety consultant involved going around wearing formal clothes and convincing people to buy our safety device for their stoves. We needed to demonstrate by playing with fire just to convince a prospective buyer. We also had an agreement of no purchase, no salary with our manager. And because it was very difficult to convince people to buy a product, we lasted just for a month doing that job in Laguna.
After that, we worked in a canteen doing stuffs as washing dishes and doing errands for our master. I experienced hell that time because our boss was very strict and he liked to humiliate us in front of people. After a month, we also quitted that job. During those times, I realized that life was indeed very difficult. As a result, after few weeks we came back to Bohol.
When I came back to Bohol, I learned that our barrio was in the process of becoming a Quasi- Parish in Duero. Rev. Fr. Edward Karaan was assigned there to celebrate mass every Wednesday and Sunday. Since my parents were lay ministers, they had access to the priest. In one of their talks with the priest, they told Fr. Ed about my plan of entering the seminary and the reasons why I had not pursued such plan. Fr. Ed offered a helping hand to find me a benefactor , and I did grab the opportunity.
On June 6, 2003 I entered the portals of Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary. For almost four years of stay in the seminary, I have been formed to become a better person. I learned a lot of things in the seminary and I feel that this is really where I belong. After many years of wandering, I have finally found my home. I still do not know what awaits me, but I am certain that whatever my future holds, I will face it with faith in God.

balik tanaw

Maganda ang buhay. Ito ay puno ng mga surprisa na nakapagdudulot ng kasiyahan at kahalagahan ng buhay. Di tayo nawawalan sa buhay; palagi tayong merong nakukuha mula dito. Kung mayroon man tayong mga masalimuot na karanasan, tayo ay nakakukuha ng mga leksiyon na maaring makatulong sa atin upang maging mas mabuting nilalang. Kung mayroon man tayong magagandang karanasan, ang mga ito ay nanantiling nakaluklok sa kailaliman ng ating mga puso bilang magagandang ala-ala. Kung susubukan nating magbalik tanaw sa ating mga nakaraan, masasabi nating kay ganda pala ng mabuhay.
Kung hayaan man akong magbalik tanaw sa lumipas, di ko akalain na ako’y makarating sa ating naratnan ngayon. Sa loob ng dalamput limang taon na pamamalagi sa mundo ay bata pa rin ang aking puso. Sa kabila ng lahat ng mga nangyayari sa aking buhay, maganda man o hindi, ay patuloy pa rin akong nakikibaka. Malinaw pa sa aking al-ala ang bawat lumipas na nakaukit sa aking balintataw.
Sabi ng aking ina na ako daw ay isang panalangin mula sa Poong Maykapal. Hindi siya gaano nagdusa sa sakit noong ipinanganak niya ako dito sa mundong ibabaw noong Nobyembre 8, 1982. Maliban pa doon, nakikita nyang mabait akong bata noong aking kamusmusan; natutulog lang ako ng mahimbing sa duyan kaya’t patuloy pa rin siya sa kanyang mga ginagawa. Umiiyak lang ako kapag basa ang aking lampin at kapag ako ay nagugutom. Di rin ako nagkakasakit noong aking kamusmusan. Marahil ito ang mga dahilan kung bakit paborito ako ng aking ina.
Ako ay lumaki sa isang relihiyosong pamilya na may anim na miyembro, Ako ay tinuruan ng aking mga magulang na magkaroon ng pananalig sa Poong Maykapal. Ang aking ama ay isang tsuper samantalang ang aking ina naman ay nagbabantay sa aming maliit na tindahan. Bilang pamilya, namumuhay kami ng payapa at simple kapiling ang aking mga kapatid na sina Ate Shella, Christopher, at Mary Grace.
Noong ako’y mag-aanim na taong gulang, ako ay pumasok sa Mababang paaralan ng Payao. Sa anim na taon na pamamalagi sa paaralang ito ay ginawaran ako ng award na 1st Honors. Marami akong mga karanasan na kaytamis balik-balikan tulad ng mga sandaling ako’y nakatanggap ng tsokolate mula sa aming guro dahil sa nai-perfect ko ang aming pasulit. Noon din nagsimula ang aking interes na maging pari pagdating ng panahon. Sa awa ng Diyos ay nakatapos ako ng Elementarya bilang Class Valedictorian. Pinagpatuloy ko ang aking pag-aaral ng haiskul sa Immaculate Academy sa aming bayan. At mabait pa rin ang Panginoon sa akin dahil ako’y nakapagtapos ng haiskul bilang Class Salutaturian.
Naaalala ko rin na unti unti nawala ang aking plano na magpapari, noong akoy nasa ika-apat na taon sa haiskul. Ako ay nahuhumaling sa computer at ninanais ko na pag-aralan ito. Kaya imbes na pumasok sa seminaryo ay kumuha ako ng kursong Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering sa University of Bohol. Noong una ay maganda ang takbo ng aking pag-aaral. Ngunit ng lumaon, bugso ng impluwensya ng mga barkada ay natuto akong lumiban sa klase, hanggang umabot sa puntong di ko na i-maintain ang aking scholarship. Mula noon naging masalimuot na ang aking buhay. Sunod-sunod ang kamalasan na nangyari sa aming pamilya, lalong- lalo na sa pinansyal na aspeto. Hanggang ito ay umabot sa punto na pinahinto kami ng aming mga magulang sa pag-aaral dahil di na nila kaya na tustusan pa ito.
Dahil dito ay naisipan kung mag baka-sakali sa Maynila at doon ko naranasan ang maging isang waiter sa isang resturant. Ngunit masyadong masungit ang aming naging amo kaya hindi rin ako nagtagal. Bumalik ako ng Bohol pagkalipas ng walong buwan dala ang kahihiyan na hindi ako nagtagumpay. Aking napagtanto na mahirap pala ang maghanap ng trabaho kapag wala kang natapos.
Sa kabila ng lahat ng aking kabiguan ay patuloy pa rin akong ginabayan ng Panginoon. Binubuhay nya sa akin ang aking pangarap noong aking kabataan na maging pari. Kaya sinubukan kong mag-exam sa seminaryo. At sa awa ng Diyos, ako ay pumasa. Parang inihanda ng Panginoon ang lahat para sa akin. Binigyan nya ako ng benefactor at ang pag-asang kaya ko pa ring tuparin ang aking mga pangarap sa buhay. Kaya, noong June 6, 2005 ay pumasok ako sa seminaryo. At ngayon sa loob ng apat na taon mahigit sa aking pamamalagi dito, ay masasabi kong ito na nga siguro ang itinadhana ng Panginoon para sa akin. Dito ko nakita ang aking sarili na maligaya. Kahit alam kong di ako karapat-dapat para sa kanya, ngunit ginawa nya akong maging karapat-dapat. Alam kong wala akong maisusukli sa Panginoon kundi ang aking taos-pusong pagsunod sa kanyang mga alituntunin. Kaya, sa pamamagitan ng aking pagbabalik tanaw ay masasabi kong kay ganda pala ang mabuhay.

Movie Analysis:

JOSE RIZAL

An old maxim in Latin says, “Nemo dat quod non habet.” “You cannot give what you do not have.” In the same way, we cannot learn to love our cultural heritage as Filipinos, a mighty race in the Far East, if we do not know our background and history as Filipinos. Moreover, as Filipinos we should also try to consider that our heritage is indeed of a noble race, able to produce such personalities as Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the national hero of our dearly beloved country Philippines.
It is indeed helpful to come up with a movie depicting the life of our national hero and I appreciate the noble intentions of the team of Marilous Diaz-Abaya in coming up with the film, Jose Rizal. The movie is great only for those who have critical minds and have known the national hero of the Philippines from lessons in history or from a book. The movie is fond of using a series of flashbacks, which may somehow baffle the innocent minds of the viewers. Moreover, the story line of the movies is crafted in such a way of mixing the life story of the hero with his two prominent novels, the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo. But as I have said earlier, the movie is done intellectually. It refrains from the usual flow of Filipino movies. The director has done a great part in producing such great production. The presentation of the scenes is novel and interesting though sometimes confusing. It takes a critical mind to understand what is implied and given stress in the movie.
As expected, the movie may have some discrepancies with regards to the narration of events on the life of the hero. There are portions and details that are not in consonance with the narration of Sonia Zaide in her books. Such event as the scene where Dona Teodora was arrested is one of these inconsistencies. Rizal was not supposed to be present during the arrest, because he is supposed to be in Ateneo during that time, as what Zaide narrated in the book. An another very striking inconsistency is depicted during the final hours of Rizal on earth. In the movie, Jose Rizal given life by Cesar Montano shouted Consumatum est, as if he were Jesus Christ. I guess it relies on the ingenuity of Cesar as an actor and to add humor to the film. There were also scenes, which seem very typical to a Filipino movie. Some extras are not justifying their role and it turns out humorous instead of convincing.
However, I like the way Abaya make the film progress. She did it on using flashbacks, more on the part where Rizal confided his case to his lawyer Lt. Taviel de Andrade. I found it effective and ingenious. Other than that, the acting of the principal characters is very convincing especially on the part of Cesar Montano, who really justified his role as the national hero of the Philippines.
Another very striking in the film is the part where Simoun makes apparitions to Rizal. If you were not able to grasp it intellectually, you may misunderstand the point of the story. I appreciate that scene crafted by Abaya because it has a deeper meaning. I guess Rizal did really have a hard time on deciding whether to have Simoun killed or succeed in El Filibusterismo. It seems to be that many are not happy with the tragic ending of his second novel considering that Elias (one of the principal characters in jhis Noli) has died in his first novel. But Rizal did a great thing. Since the Simuon was not able to succeed in his novel, that gives the impetus to the Filipinos to end the novel the way they want. Thus if they really feel that enough is enough with all the injustices done by the tyrant Spaniards, then they are given the option to raise arms and have a bloody revolution. Had Rizal let Simuon succeed in his novel, the Filipinos might be contented enough to have win their cause in a novel. But because Rizal’s hero in his novel faced a tragic ending, the Filipinos are encouraged to change its ending and indeed it happened. As a result, the tyrant Spaniards, specifically the arrogant and immoral friars have met their final destiny. Finally, justice has reigned in the country long ago oppressed. That is maybe the reason why Rizal became the national hero of the country even if he did not indulge in bloody revolutions unlike what Bonifacio, Aguinaldo and the rest did. But Rizal’s novel is the very reason of the downfall of the Spanish regime in the country. It was his thoughts that inspire the Filipinos to be brave enough in facing their enemies. Indeed pen is mightier than the sword.

THE INGENOUSUS CLASS
By: Sem. Waldemar B. Castino


I do believe that no matter how simple we are we have our own unique talents. These talents set us apart from the rest and somehow celebrate our individuality. It reminds us that we are unique individuals. However, these talents must be nurtured within us and must be shared to the humanity for the sole purpose of glorifying Him, the giver of all.
Way back in the year 2004, 25 young men were accepted to be a part of the seminary family. Loaded with zest to follow Christ and calibered with talents, they showed to the community their worth. In the eventful moment of their Neophytes Night, they made their best in their showcase of talents. It was such a very wonderful night, full of fun and laughter as the talents of these young men came out to the open. That night was worth remembering because it was such a revelation.
One could spot a promising singing priest in the future in the person of Wit2.. Aside from Wit2 , there were still who were gifted with the voice of an angel and have the capacity to improve: Greg, Waldz, Jessie, Emm, Zai, JM, and Mon. The proof was they were now part of the prestigious chorale in the province, the IHMS Chorale. When it comes to dancing, this class had its bet on Miloy, Wit2, Gary ,Gel, and Mon who could do the moves with their dancing prowess. Moreover, when it comes to theatre arts, specifically in acting, the class had Gary, Chard, Emm, Mon, and Waldz as best actors. . The long list did not end here. Emm, Nardz, Mon, Mart, Greg, Jul, Jovic, and Sabine could handle comical ingenuity that could tickle anyone to death. There were also those who were gifted with the hosting stint such as Chard, Waldz, Miloy, Ajet, Darwin, and Emm. Nardz and Darwin can deliver a balak so well. And the musicals could be done with the guitar accompaniment of Ajet, Flor, Greg, Nardz, and JM. I guess nobody else in the seminary could do the best I drums than Romar. As the program ended, the class had proved their worth.
In one of his homilies, Rev. Fr. Martin C. Lupiba, the rector praised the class for their being talented. Since then, the class adopted the name “INGENOUSUS”, a Latin adjective, which simply means talented.
As the school year came to a close, Sabine, one of our classmates was evicted, while Dwacks preferred to take a voluntary exit. So the next year, the original batch of 25 was trimmed down to 21 as Mart and Greg were promoted to the 2nd year. On that same remarkable year, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, Msgr. Cirilo Darunday invested us with the sotana
Since then, we nurtured our talents within us. We also found out that there were some of our classmates who were talented in sports. Take Flor and Miloy. Others also did their best on arts such as Boysen, Gary, Ajet, and MJ. And this class was very proud to have Darwin, the living saint seminarian noted for his being pious and gentle. Academically speaking, this class is very competent with Waldz, Zai , Chard, Ajet, Wit2 , and Emm. And as usual, the school year ended with a smile.
Then the class is now on its third year of existence, but it is very sad to note that another two of the class did not able to join us because of some reasons. In fact, we terribly miss Gel and Jessie. But luckily, two from the regency program joined our class in the person of Florbe, and Rodel. They too are talented individuals. Be it on sports, arts, music and academics.

As we go on with our journey towards fulfilling our dreams for the priesthood, we know that God will always be there to guide our ways and to enlighten our minds. Though we are sure that not all of us will become priest someday but at least we have tried our best to use our God-given talents and faculties for His greater glory. He who is the reason of everything deserves such thing. We know that there are still a lot of trials coming along our way, but we will bravely face it with courage as we continue to unfold our history. At least, we are proud of ourselves that we are once a part of the INGENUOSUS CLASS, who were not self-conceited but devoted individuals for the greater glory of God.

THE NOTEBOOK
By: Nicholas Sparks


It is such a very wonderful love story that let your hearts feel the nobility of real love. It can make you believe that indeed real love exist in a person’s life. Upon watching the movie based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, I have noticed that there are many alterations made between the movie and the novel itself.
First, let me tackle with regards to the sequence of events. In the novel, the ferris wheel scene is not found. It is where Noah is risking his life just to win the consent of Allie to date with him. However, in the movie, it seems to be exaggerated to make an impact. I have not also read the part shown in the movie where they are lying on the street. I guess it is just an addition to make the movie more romantic. In the novel, Noah’s childhood is given a flashback, wherein it is said that he is good at sports that somehow made him popular among kids. It also explains why Noah loves to read poems and memorize it by heart.
There are also scenes in the movie which are not found in the original idea of the novel. An example is the scene where Noah is listening to the argument of Allie and her parents. In addition, the fight they have before they part. These scenes are not found in the novel. It is not also written in the novel the part when Allie and her mother went to the construction and told Ann told Allie some secrets of her past. It is not also found in the novel that Allie almost met an accident upon going home to her hotel.
Aside from that, scenes are also altered. The scene where they have a reunion after fourteen years is one. In the movie, they just stayed in the house and do a lot of talking. However, in the novel, they used to stroll around hand in hand. Another is their lovemaking. It is supposed to be happened at the sala near the fireplace after Allie had taken a bath. Nevertheless, it is altered and they started to make it right after they got out from the boat. The scene also which shows that when Allie wake up the next day, there is a rose on one of the pillows and markers were made going down to the kitchen for her breakfast. The novel said that Allie has her breakfast in bed the day after their reunion and lovemaking. Another thing is that the letters of Noah which is hidden by Allies mother should be given while they were sitting from the porch from her mothers pocketbook and not from the back of the car when Allies’ mother is about to go. In the novel, Allie read Noah’s letters in the car upon reaching the parking lot of her hotel and not in the streets as shown in the movie. Finally, Allie on her old age ought to be thinning but the movie shows a stout old Allie.
Aside from alterations, there are also omissions happening in the movie (that is supposed to be there). An example is the persistence of Noah to look for the whereabouts of Allie. It is given emphasis in the novel because it shows how true Noah’s love for Alllie is. Another is the scene on a Christmas party, where Allie’s mother told Lon about the past of Allie and her puppy love with Noah. To make things clear, the scenes where Allie showed early symptoms of Alzheimer’s must also be included but it is not shown in the movie maybe to save time. Finally, it is not also shown that Noah now on his old age is reading their letters as a way of reminiscing the past.

When we talk about characterization. There also some details that does not fit with the novel. In the movie, it is not shown and given stress the character of Allie as an artist struggling to be recognized and motivated by Noah. The scene where Allie went to a shop is not found in the movie. Noah must have also left a note to Allie before they part. Lon is also given stress in the novel, being the third party where a conflict can be drawn. Some details about Lon are disregarded in the film such as his courtroom scenes wherein he is not properly disposed due to Allies indifference.
There are also minor characters who are absent in the movie. For instance, Morris Goldman, the owner of the scrap metal business where Noah was working and was later given a big sum of money for his good work. Another thing that I missed in the movie is Clem, Noah’s dog. She is supposed to be there since it was only her whom Noah considered companion before Allie came to his house. In addition, I didn’t see Gus, the 70-year old best friend of Noah in the film, who acts as a confidante of our principal character.
Finally, with regards to the overall effects. There are minor details about their story, which are not included in the movie. The scene where Noah is supposed to teach Allie how to bait is nowhere to be found. It could give more color to the story. Noah is also supposed to be strumming the guitar as his pastime but it was neglected as well in the movie. Noah and Allie are supposed to be fishing together. The newspaper must be discovered by Allie from her father while having coffee and not from her mother while wearing her wedding gown. The details about the dinner on their reunion are also neglected. They supposed to have crabs and have it prepared together.
However, even if they have a lot of alterations, omissions and differences. They still convey the same story of love of two beings. But for my part, the novel is better than the movie.

Reaction Paper:

LES MISERABLES
By: Victor Hugo

It is a story with a long and intricate plot, of the heroic life of a simple and good man in the person of Jean Valjean. He is a very memorable character who is morally upright but guilty of certain thefts for which he feels remorse. To avoid capture and life sentence, he assumes the identity of Monsieur Madeliene, soon becoming the mayor of the small town he has adopted.
It is a very beautiful story packed with excitement. You will always try to think what would happen to the characters as they ventured into new frontiers. It talks about man’s struggle to escape the past and reaffirm his humanity in a society wherein poverty and ignorance prevails. Aside from being a superb adventure, it can also be considered as a powerful social document. It shows the inhumane treatment of the convicts and ex-convicts. It also shows how a man can be redeemed by accepting suffering, and by following the dictates of his conscience even if it entails suffering and ostracism from many people.
It also talks about the man’s struggle for existence in the case of the principal character, Jean Valjean as he tried to forget the past and go on with his life. He is such a remarkable character distinct to other people we met in our daily undertakings. He’s exceptional and one of a kind.
It also dwells with the supernatural power of love, the love to give up one’s freedom for the sake of justice. It is also quite romantic especially on the part of the love affair of Marius and Cosette that tickles your bones. However, it is more on being a melodrama, that let your heart cry out specially on the ending part where it is shown how noble Jean was in his lifetime upon his deathbed.
This novel has also convincing characterization. The character of Jean Valjean depicts a man who triumphs over evil in him and in others. He dared to expose himself, coined with it is accepting the suffering and sacrifices to prevent the conviction of an innocent man for a crime which he had committed in the past. This crime seems to be very forgivable. Thus, we can categorize it as a justifiable act of theft since it is done as a last recourse. Stealing a loaf of bread to feed a sister and her starving children is not bad at all, considering that life is the highest value that should be given stress. But Jean Valjean accepted his fate and has proved to himself that he has triumphed over his fear and had done justice. At least he had lived his life with love and he had been loved by Cosette, his so-called adopted daughter
Cosette is also a very striking character. She too has her share of the cup of sorrow, being a daughter of Fantine who was left to the Thernadiers only to be maltreated. At least she found consolation, because she is well loved by Jean and had been rescued from the Thernadiers. Marius on the other hand, complicates the plot of the story when he thought of Jean as an evil person upon learning things about Jean from the past. He didn’t even know that it was Jean who saved his life, when he was almost facing death.
Another memorable character is Javert, the inspector who always followed Jean in the hope of capturing him. He is very much obsessed about it that leads to his death in his own hands. He can’t accept that he who is trying to inflict harm to a person was saved by the same person. Moreover, the bishop who had a great influence on Jean is also a very remarkable character. Without him, Jean would not triumph over evil in himself and in others. It seems to be that he is an angel sent down from heaven to enlighten and inspire the principal character of the story.
This novel teaches us many things. Such as we can’t escape our conscience. Even if we have successfully hidden our secrets in the form of misdeeds in the past, it will continue to haunt us until we face it and divulge it in public. Such was the case of Jean. This novel also opens our eyes about the reality in our society we belong where there are lots of injustices, discriminations and the like. It also tells us not to judge the book by its cover in the case of Marius. We should not let pass any judgement over anybody because that person might have a golden heart hidden within him.
We should also put in mind that if there is life, there is hope. No matter how messy our past had come, we could still make amends to it and make our lives better. Jean is a great example of such thing; he succeeded to become a mayor in a town despite his dark past.
Life is difficult but it is in difficulty that we can appreciate its meaning. The miserable character of Jean in the novel teaches us the reality in life. Nevertheless, the bottom line is “It does not matter how many heartaches, sufferings and pains we encountered in life as long as we have loved and we have been loved