Before I start with The Time Keeper...
I bet most of the people reading my blogs (if there are any) would have expected me to write about Ang Huling El Bimbo, A Hit Musical. Especially some of you who also follow me on Twitter and have seen some of my Retweets which took on commentaries about the musical and theatre in general. I would have wanted to write about it but I've already done a vlog on my YouTube channel (even though it wasn't a very in-depth review on the musical; I didn't critically analyze it on my vlog). I also rather that people viewing it only now do their own interpretation and perception.
Besides that, I think there are already a lot of critical analysis going around (all of which, have valid points and I'm not taking anyone else's right to see the play in all its various lenses. In the end, I just hope everyone has a take-away from the musical). Just always keep in mind that art is supposed to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted. Any and every critical acclaim is valid depending on the lens you've decided to take on in viewing the play.
Personally, I love how my parents finally appreciated Filipino theater because of AHEB. They wouldn't have bothered if not for my insisting that they watch it with me last year. After I told my mother about the online streaming of AHEB as she got home from her hospital duty last night, she insisted on watching it again. (My parents rewatched it almost three times today because of that)
Okay, now let's do The Time Keeper...
After I decided to take a social media detox three days ago, I revisted a Mitch Albom classic: The Time Keeper. Most of you already know his best-sellers which are Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Maybe you were forced into them for a book report during English class in the past; I personally enjoyed them before we were assigned to read it). Both of these are also just as good and both of which also deserve a full-on post here on my blog (I'll make a mental note for that).
But for now, let's focus on The Time Keeper first. The first time I ever read the book was back in 2014. I had a hype for Mitch Albom's works back then. I read all of his recent works in one straight week (those of which did not include The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto and The First Phone Call from Heaven---I've yet to finish these three and Human Touch, which is his most recent serialized online story set in the time of the coronavirus pandemic). I had the chance to reread my favorites from the bunch during 2015 though. I'd grown attached to his stories more than I thought I would be.
Although to be fairly honest with you, I didn't think I would be able to read them all in that one week. I didn't really have an interest in fable-like tales and Mitch Albom's writing was different from the writing I was used to reading. I also had trouble with the formatting of the book, which slowed down my pacing the first time I tried reading all of them (it's sort of a mild dyslexia problem I have). It took me three tries of rereading the first three pages of Tuesdays with Morrie before I went on with the other books. The Time Keeper was no different. I had to reread the first three chapters (which were short chapters) for more than once before I was able to absorb the ideas the book was throwing at me. After a while, I was patient enough to stay with the book until the end and I have no regrets.
I don't need to talk about the whole plot but you have to know that the story revolves around three people: Dor (Father Time), Sarah and Victor. All of their dilemmas revolve around time. Wanting too much of it, wanting too little of it and the very fact that we had to measure time in the first place. After the first time I read the book, I suddenly stopped wearing wristwatches. I stopped my habit of constantly looking at the clock which limited my days. I was in 7th to 8th grade when that happened. Even my mother didn't understand why I stopped wearing my watch. I never liked explaining to my parents how books affected me and how books still affect me until today. They wouldn't fully understand and they would just think I'm absurd. But that was just how I am.
So I was clock-free for the rest of my high school. It was a change I'm still thankful for until today. The Time Keeper made me appreciate the time I had and how sweet and fond I took of every moment as if it were going to be my last. It wasn't until I was given my late grandfather's old Seiko watch that I started to wear a watch again. But it was for that watch and that watch alone. I didn't use it for time-keeping. I just kept wearing the watch so I could carry around a piece of my grandfather wherever I went. And, if I were to be honest again, I'm really slow at telling the time (I think it has to do with my mild dyslexia as well) especially if the watch I'm using isn't digital. And let me tell you, my grandfather's watch wasn't digital. It didn't even have numbers on it (so maybe it's not really much of a dyslexia problem but just... a thought-processing problem in my brain).
Over the quarantine though, I stopped wearing it again because I didn't have to go anywhere wherein I needed my watch. The watch stopped working as well, which made me sad. I kind of thought that the spirit of my grandfather was watching over me through that watch. But I know he's watching us from wherever he is nonetheless.
Going back to the book, rereading it again during my social media detox made me appreciate my time once again but in a different way. It's not the kind of appreciation I once had when I was fourteen that told me that I should not wear a watch so I don't have to think of the time that flies by. Today, The Time Keeper taught me to keep my days precious. No matter how mundane our daily activities are, I should still keep those mundane moments worthwhile. Every moment counts. We are all limited in the time we have only to make us realize how we should fill in the days we have left.
To borrow a scene from the book itself:
"There's a reason why God limits our days."
"Why?"
"To make each one precious."
I bet most of the people reading my blogs (if there are any) would have expected me to write about Ang Huling El Bimbo, A Hit Musical. Especially some of you who also follow me on Twitter and have seen some of my Retweets which took on commentaries about the musical and theatre in general. I would have wanted to write about it but I've already done a vlog on my YouTube channel (even though it wasn't a very in-depth review on the musical; I didn't critically analyze it on my vlog). I also rather that people viewing it only now do their own interpretation and perception.
Besides that, I think there are already a lot of critical analysis going around (all of which, have valid points and I'm not taking anyone else's right to see the play in all its various lenses. In the end, I just hope everyone has a take-away from the musical). Just always keep in mind that art is supposed to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted. Any and every critical acclaim is valid depending on the lens you've decided to take on in viewing the play.
Personally, I love how my parents finally appreciated Filipino theater because of AHEB. They wouldn't have bothered if not for my insisting that they watch it with me last year. After I told my mother about the online streaming of AHEB as she got home from her hospital duty last night, she insisted on watching it again. (My parents rewatched it almost three times today because of that)
Okay, now let's do The Time Keeper...
After I decided to take a social media detox three days ago, I revisted a Mitch Albom classic: The Time Keeper. Most of you already know his best-sellers which are Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Maybe you were forced into them for a book report during English class in the past; I personally enjoyed them before we were assigned to read it). Both of these are also just as good and both of which also deserve a full-on post here on my blog (I'll make a mental note for that).
But for now, let's focus on The Time Keeper first. The first time I ever read the book was back in 2014. I had a hype for Mitch Albom's works back then. I read all of his recent works in one straight week (those of which did not include The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto and The First Phone Call from Heaven---I've yet to finish these three and Human Touch, which is his most recent serialized online story set in the time of the coronavirus pandemic). I had the chance to reread my favorites from the bunch during 2015 though. I'd grown attached to his stories more than I thought I would be.
Although to be fairly honest with you, I didn't think I would be able to read them all in that one week. I didn't really have an interest in fable-like tales and Mitch Albom's writing was different from the writing I was used to reading. I also had trouble with the formatting of the book, which slowed down my pacing the first time I tried reading all of them (it's sort of a mild dyslexia problem I have). It took me three tries of rereading the first three pages of Tuesdays with Morrie before I went on with the other books. The Time Keeper was no different. I had to reread the first three chapters (which were short chapters) for more than once before I was able to absorb the ideas the book was throwing at me. After a while, I was patient enough to stay with the book until the end and I have no regrets.
I don't need to talk about the whole plot but you have to know that the story revolves around three people: Dor (Father Time), Sarah and Victor. All of their dilemmas revolve around time. Wanting too much of it, wanting too little of it and the very fact that we had to measure time in the first place. After the first time I read the book, I suddenly stopped wearing wristwatches. I stopped my habit of constantly looking at the clock which limited my days. I was in 7th to 8th grade when that happened. Even my mother didn't understand why I stopped wearing my watch. I never liked explaining to my parents how books affected me and how books still affect me until today. They wouldn't fully understand and they would just think I'm absurd. But that was just how I am.
So I was clock-free for the rest of my high school. It was a change I'm still thankful for until today. The Time Keeper made me appreciate the time I had and how sweet and fond I took of every moment as if it were going to be my last. It wasn't until I was given my late grandfather's old Seiko watch that I started to wear a watch again. But it was for that watch and that watch alone. I didn't use it for time-keeping. I just kept wearing the watch so I could carry around a piece of my grandfather wherever I went. And, if I were to be honest again, I'm really slow at telling the time (I think it has to do with my mild dyslexia as well) especially if the watch I'm using isn't digital. And let me tell you, my grandfather's watch wasn't digital. It didn't even have numbers on it (so maybe it's not really much of a dyslexia problem but just... a thought-processing problem in my brain).
Over the quarantine though, I stopped wearing it again because I didn't have to go anywhere wherein I needed my watch. The watch stopped working as well, which made me sad. I kind of thought that the spirit of my grandfather was watching over me through that watch. But I know he's watching us from wherever he is nonetheless.
Going back to the book, rereading it again during my social media detox made me appreciate my time once again but in a different way. It's not the kind of appreciation I once had when I was fourteen that told me that I should not wear a watch so I don't have to think of the time that flies by. Today, The Time Keeper taught me to keep my days precious. No matter how mundane our daily activities are, I should still keep those mundane moments worthwhile. Every moment counts. We are all limited in the time we have only to make us realize how we should fill in the days we have left.
To borrow a scene from the book itself:
"There's a reason why God limits our days."
"Why?"
"To make each one precious."
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