My solo movie experience

Nowadays, it'd seem that the only time I'm available (not technically, well, but.. :P) to catch a movie, is when I'm on call that night. Probably because I'd reason that I'd be working through the night (technically, but well.. :P), I deserve a break in the afternoon since I'm still a student. Afterall, there is only a certain period of time when you're officially a student ('tho we are life-long learners), and there are things that you can only do while you are a student.

Anyway, the previous time I watched a movie alone was quite some years back. It was Shanghai Knights. For some reason, I think I wanted to watch it quite badly, and my friends have already watched it, so I decided to watch it alone. (Maybe because it featured Fann Wong - afterall, you don't often see a local actor/actress make it to Hollywood back then. Now as well.) Maybe I was young and impressionable then, or maybe I just couldn't decipher tones of speech, but I don't remember experiencing what I experienced yesterday.

Me: Can I have a ticket to (500) days of summmer?

*I remembered that being Wednesday, I'm entitled to student discount. Hence I flashed my student EZ-link*

Receptionist at Box-Office (Henceforth known as R): I'd need 2 student passes.
Me: I only need 1 ticket.
R: Oh. So 1 student ticket and 1 normal ticket>
Me: No, ONE ticket would be enough.
R: Huh? Oh I'm sorry..
Me: It's alright. *And I gave her my classic smiley face*

Come on, what's wrong with watching a movie alone? No doubt, movies seem to be the most prevalent social event, whether for couples or for groups. (Correct me if I'm wrong) But sometimes, it's hard to find company, or find time when your company can make it, or find company who want to watch it (with you or otherwise), or find company who hasn't watched that movie. And I don't really wanna wait for the DVD, especially when I'm not sure whether I want to invest $20+ in a DVD instead of $6 for a student ticket.

So maybe in future, box-office receptionists should learn to conceal their expressions of disbelief when someone purchases a single ticket. (:

Anyway, (500) days of summer was not too bad for a movie. Could vaguely draw some parallels between the character and me. Well, in case there are people who read this and haven't watched it and are keen to watch it, shan't have any spoiler alerts. But a theme that struck me was reconciling expectations and reality. Very often, in relationships or otherwise, we have expectations of others, we think we can expect or predict how they would think or respond. But in reality, we probably can't.

Sometimes we expect people, who are of adult age and adult mentality (these 2 don't necessarily coexist, a pity to say) to know what they want in life. Maybe some people do know what they want, which is they don't want anything at that point in time. You can't fault them for it. Knowing that you don't want anything counts as knowing what you want i guess. Till then, there's really nothing much you can do about it, is there?

And probably, for me personally, where the line for friends and someone special is really quite distinctly drawn, a quote in the movie made me realise "You can't ascribe great cosmic significance to a simple earthly event." Because for the millions out there, perhaps the line for normal friends and someone special isn't that far apart. Not that it's wrong. It's just my personal take on things. Being the oddball, I should attempt to understand the norms of how people interact, even though I may not subscribe to it. That would probably save me a lot of interpretative errors.

Not that I want to be anal about drawing clear lines. But for me, clarity trumps ambiguity. Anytime. It may be really cruel, even for both parties, but I would think that its protective effect would reap more benefits in future.

"And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide
But I love you, I love you, until the end of time.

~Come What May, Moulin Rouge

Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought'a know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love.
The world may change my whole life through
But nothing's gonna change my love for you.

~ Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You

I think we (or at least I) are a sucker for these songs which promise loads. Until the end of time? I remember what my pastor mentioned about many people: 说就天下无敌，做就无能为力. Indeed the future may really be unpredictable, and really not in our control. Does that devalue the promises that we make? I don't think so, because the promise is a commitment, to signify that yes, the future may be unpredictable, but come what may, I will walk through it with you. So till then, I'll still be a sucker for these songs.

Thank God for His Word and Love, the only things which never change. (: