You know how most of the time people go to the mall, not to go shop, but simply to escape the heat wave outside. Yesterday was disappointing. I just wished the management announced some sort of memorandum or posted a warning sign telling people to “ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. VERY, VERY, VERY LIFE-THREATENINGLY HOT INSIDE.” It was such a wrong time to visit the mall because they were running on generators. We knew then that it would be a wrong idea to watch Percy Jackson, but we did anyway, because of the burning hope to find one place in the whole mall where it would be cool enough for our asses to calm down. But I’ve learned that being optimistic doesn’t help most of the time; we couldn’t enjoy the movie as much as we could because the whole time my dad was fanning himself, the sound system was a little messed up and I could hear some people complaining about the heat. Although it was rather difficult for me to breathe, I tried to man up and suck it all in because I was having so much fun recollecting what knowledge I have of Greek Mythology, and was surprised to find out that I pretty much still had it in me. It kind of sucked that I forgot what a demigod is, because I grew up trying to believe Hercules was, in some sense in this world, my brother, and that, bless my heart, I could walk the distance just like him.

For what seemed like the longest interlude in movie-watching history, only then did I realize how quiet the theatre could be. I heard this dude say, “God, are you here?” which made me laugh for the briefest instant. The others didn’t catch the joke, and I started to wonder if they’ve died of hyperthermia or suffocation because that was honestly a good punch line.

Later, while we were doing our grocery, the lights suddenly went off. The emergency light didn’t turn on immediately, and I was stupid enough to dismiss the opportunity of grabbing a couple of Snickers since we were standing in the darkness of the chocolates section. I could’ve done that, you know, and no one would notice, but I guess I sort of jumped silly when my sister said zombies were going to come rushing in and then we’d become instant meal. By the time the lights went back, there wasn’t any zombie anywhere and I started to regret letting the juvvy opportunity pass.
***
I’m not good at crying. Even sad movies fail to extract even just a single tear from my eye. The only movies that made me cry were Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, and A Walk to Remember. I was watching Marley and Me with Mom. I was happy to see my Mom enjoying herself especially during times when she thought about our dog, Tinkerbell. We were exchanging stories about Tinker and was surprised to know she remembered so much about our dog. As we neared the end of the movie, when Marley was already feeling weak, Mom got up to get a roll of tissue paper and started wiping her tears away. I told her “You’re so emotional,” but soon enough swallowed my own words because I found myself crying as well. I cried so much especially during the part where Luke Wilson was telling the doctor how much of a fighter Marley was and when Luke talked one last time to Marley until he finally closed his eyes to take eternal rest. It was so heartwarming. I immediately hugged Tinkerbell afterwards and thought I should let her sleep with me for the night. I love my dog so much. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

I could almost feel the same feeling John Tyree had when he read Savannah’s last letter, when he he finally realized he just lost her. I finished reading Dear John and found myself on the verge of tears every time a letter comes up. For a moment there I hated Savannah for her impatience. I hated her for giving up on the fight. I hated her for causing John so much pain. I probably still hate her now because I couldn’t imagine what John’s life would be without his dad, without her. I also thought Tim would die, and John and Savannah would be together again, but then that would be cruel and then I would hate them both just as much as I hated Lily Van der Woodsen when she immediately jumped into a relationship with Rufus Humphrey right after Bart Bass died. Lily and Rufus=plain annoying. Savannah and John=bittersweet. There must be a reason why God gave Nicholas the surname Sparks. He puts sparks in people’s eyes, in their smiles, even in their tears. KWIM?

AND YES. THIS GUY MAKES ME SOOOO HAPPPPYYYYYYYYYYY. Watch out for him!

He looks weird in the photo. But wth, I love him.