Yesterday, I did something out of the ordinary for me. I skipped dinner and lined up at the longest cinema ticket line I have ever encountered in my life just to watch a Filipino movie on the big screen. The title in itself – “Walang Forever” – screamed of hugot, and so I prepared myself for the usual type of cheesy Filipino love story that my boyfriend loves to watch. That isn’t what it was, though.
No. While Walang Forever does have a few kilig moments, it doesn’t use a single cheesy line that you would roll your eyes at and think “nobody says that in real life”. Plus, it came with a bunch of life lessons that I had already heard before, but were still nice to be reminded of now that another new year has begun.
5 Life Lessons from Walang Forever that Everyone Should Remember This 2016
5. Everyone deserves a second chance.
Stop being a bitter melon. People can change. They just need to want to. I have witnessed guys who were horrible to their girlfriends at first and only realised what they had when they lost her, so they ended up doing a complete one-over when they were given a second chance. It is possible. Then there are those instances where a big life event makes people realize that change is necessary, such as a death of a loved one or an unexpected move or pregnancy.
So yes, I’d like to say everyone deserves a second chance. Just a second one, though. Not a third. Not a fourth. A second one. And a real one, too. I’m not talking about those second chances that you give because you think you owe it to the person, but then you don’t really forgive them for the past, so it keeps coming back to haunt you guys anyway. Which brings us to…
4. You need to let go of the past.
Continuing from the point above, a real second chance means letting go of all of the pain that the past has brought you – the pain that required you to give that second chance in the first place. If you aren’t able to let go of your bitterness, your anger and your pain, then you aren’t able to give anyone the second chance that they deserve. Besides, being bitter, angry and hurt about the past will only hurt one person repeatedly in the end: you.
3. The things you see on TV aren’t real life.
You might laugh at this one, but I have heard (and admittedly said) the following line quite a few times in my lifetime: “Buti pa si <insert fictional TV or movie character here>, <insert positive adjective here>.” Well, guess what? Those people are fictional for a reason: people like them simply do not exist.
As nice as it would be to come across a real-life Noah Calhoun from The Notebook, the fact of the matter is that a guy like him doesn’t exist. Even if fictional characters are based on real people, like the characters in Mia’s scripts in Walang Forever are, they are still tweaked to perfection to make people hope and dream… and there’s nothing wrong with fantasising about the perfect relationship and perfect life – as long as you don’t set your expectations to high in real life because of it, anyway.
2. Always take a break.
Find time for the little things. Yes, work is important, but it shouldn’t take up so much of your life that you end up ignoring the people who love you the most. Learn how to balance and manage your time this 2016 and you will be a much happier person at the end of it. Trust me.
1. Everybody has a story.
Never jump to conclusions and never over-react. And always, always be kind. Do not judge other people because of what you may have seen or heard. There are always two sides to a story, and every side deserves to be heard. The next time you see or hear something bad about someone, give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, wouldn’t you want people to do the same for you?
Have you seen Walang Forever yet? What did you think of it?
