Sweet Cakes and Milkshakes

It has been another weird week for us (me and my moon sister Rhio) as the universe sent us tons of signs and messages these past few days and, we're getting a bit anxious and excited about it because the last time it happened...well...let's just say something quite extraordinary happened. ;)

So last Saturday night, we spent it by watching a movie that has become a part of my favorite list - Before Sunrise - while munching on pancakes and chicken wings she brought home from Slappy Cakes (which was by the way...a-ma-zing!) 

Okay, so enough with my senseless blabberings, now I'm gonna blabber about how I fell in love with the movie "Before Sunrise". The whole time we were watching, we can't help but gasp and giggle all throughout the movie as Jesse and Celine traversed around the streets of Vienna. We are hopeless romantics by default which means we tend to get "oooohhh-ing and aaahhhh-ing" over some of the cheesiest stuff that cross our paths. And this movie has lots and lots of it. 

Back to the movie (by the way, just in case you're not familiar with it, I guess it would be better if you read the synopsis here, or better yet, you should just watch it first.) I've been wanting to watch this movie way, way back, but somehow was discouraged when my sister told me that she found it boring. Now I realized that maybe the universe just made me wait for the right moment to watch it. ;)

Can the greatest romance of your life last only one night?

The thing that I love the most in this film is the idea of opening up yourself to a random stranger, in a no-holds-barred-tell-all kind of way. The conversations that my sister found boring were the ones I found so engrossing and romantic. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy did a great job on their roles as two strangers who crossed paths by a twist of fate. Everything felt so real as if I was watching a real life conversation between two random strangers instead of two actors who just memorized their lines. The backdrop was so subtle and they didn't focus on the scenery and grand views, instead they made use of the culture and the history of the place. And most of the scenes revolved around the two characters only, which lent it an air of intimacy. It gave the audience a sense of feeling as if they were given a pass to eavesdrop on these private conversations. 

Between the two characters, I found myself relating most to Jesse. Deep inside, he is a hopeless romantic but chooses to mask it with his cynicism. I can't blame him for wanting to protect himself from heartache. He's experienced things that tend to make you doubt if it's really worth the risk to fall in love - his girlfriend, whom he crossed oceans for, dropped him like a hot potato, the moment he got there. I guess it really would make you more cynical because for starters, you were already a bit skeptical about it and yet, you still gave romance a chance. You tried to believe that it could possibly work because you're a hopeless romantic by heart. But in the end, it just failed you.

Maybe that's why I'm fascinated with the idea of a "One Day/Week Love Affair" just like in this one and many other stories I've read and movies I've seen (i.e. Just One Day, Casablanca, An Affair to Remember). I find it appealing to just open up yourself to a random stranger who is interested enough to listen to all of your thoughts (and rants) without the fear of getting judged because you're not going to meet each other again and, they wouldn't meet the people you were complaining about. Here's the thing why I sometimes find it hard to confide even with the people closest to me, especially if it involves my problem with other people. For example, I'm having a conflict with a member of my family and I just want to blow off some steam by confiding it to a close friend. I'm not afraid afraid that they wouldn't side with me, but rather I'm afraid that they would judge these people I was having problems with just because of my rants. And I wouldn't want that to happen because no matter what, these people are still important to me. 

So off we go and meet a random stranger. Just let them not be a serial killer or a psychopath. And you two would find a special connection in an instant. You would walk around and talk about anything and everything under the sun. You'll just enjoy the moment and not fear how tomorrow will be. I would want that. To think that the magic would last for the whole day and you'll leave it at that. No strings attached. No tomorrows. No talks of future together. Just the NOW. 

For me it's like keeping a firefly in a jar but the difference is, it's light would never die out. The magic of that day would always remain with you till the day you die. The hardest part though would probably be the "WHAT IFS". What if you just stayed? What if you gave it a chance? Would it have worked out? Would it have been worth it? But I don't want that. What I want is to live the moment as it is. To be content of the now than long for the promise of forever. I know people would see it as a sign of weakness. That I'm just afraid of commitments, that I'm afraid of taking risks. That I'm a scaredy-cat. So what? At least I got the chance to have that great escape. I wouldn't mind even if the greatest romance of my life would only last for one night. At least I had it, and will always have it safe in my firefly jar.

So enough about my mindless blabberings and let me just share another list (yep, I love making lists so just deal with it) of my sawoon-moments from the film:

1. The Trains - If there's one reason why I want to backpack through Europe, it's because of trains. I want to travel cross country by riding these choo-choo-ing cars. If I were to choose between airplanes and trains, I'd pick the latter wholeheartedly. I don't know why but I just love the idea of railway stations and subways. Maybe you should blame it on my love for Harry Potter and his yearly journey to the Platform 9 3/4. And now you could add to that the scene when Jesse convinced Celine to delay her journey to Paris and just get off the train with him right then and there in Vienna.

   

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2. Theme Park - Of all the attractions on a theme park, I'd say that the ferris wheel is my most favorite of 'em all. So that moment, when they got off the train and they walked around until they arrived on a theme park and they rode the ferris wheel while watching the sunset (and ahem! where they shared their first kiss), was an uber-sawoon-worthy moment for me. 

   

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3. Slow Dancing - call me a hopeless romantic, but if someone who's as good looking as Ethan Hawke suddenly grabs you to him to slow dance on the side walk while someone was playing the harpsichord, and you won't swoon over it, I'd seriously think there's something wrong with you.
   
4. Moon/Star Gazing - I've always wanted to sleep on a field of grass underneath the shadows of the trees and the open sky, while watching the moon and the stars work their magic. 
   
5. Milkshakes - I love milkshakes, but this one doesn't refer to the creamy-goody-drink but rather to the poem that was supposedly written for them by a penniless poet they encountered while walking along the Danube river, in exchange for some loose change. 

Delusion Angel by David Jewell

Daydream delusion,

limousine eyelash,

oh, baby with your pretty face,

drop a tear in my wineglass,

look at those big eyes,

see what you mean to me,

sweet cakes and milkshakes,

I am a delusioned angel,

I am a fantasy parade,

I want you to know what I think,

don't want you to guess anymore,

you have no idea where I came from,

we have no idea where we’re going,

launched in life,

like branches in the river,

flowing downstream,

caught in the current,

I’ll carry you, you’ll carry me,

that’s how it could be,

don’t you know me?

don’t you know me by now?