The Haunting of Bly Manor

Flora: You said it was a ghost story. It isn't.

Jaime: No?

Flora: It's a love story.

Jaime: (nodding) Same thing really.

Following the success of The Haunting of Hill House, Netflix produced another haunting season which, based on reviews, may have disappointed most fans. There was less scare and more heart. This may have been the reason why people think that the story have become dragging. The last three episodes had me glued to the screen though.

The conversation mentioned above occurred toward the end of the last episode before the big reveal. The story painted a picture of how each person are haunted by their own ghost:

Danielle haunted by her guilt over the death of her childhood friend and fiancé.

Peter haunted by his greed of money and material things which pushed him to covet his boss' properties and steal from him.

Henry haunted by fear of facing his nephew and niece to admit that he was almost the cause of destroying their family.

Owen haunted by his dreams of becoming a chef but unable to pursue it as he was tied down by his sick mother.

Hannah haunted by memories of her runaway husband that she refused to accept that he's never coming back.

Viola haunted by grief and utmost rage so powerful that it caused the death innocent people.

Each person have their own ghosts. It could be an ugly past, an unfulfilled dream, the inability to accept what was or pure blind wrath. And it is up to us when we can be freed from these ghosts. These ghosts will continue to haunt or even taunt you. Only when you start to accept the past and forgive yourself and the people who hurt you, will you be able to free yourself from them.

To Kuya Noks

I learned the shocking news of your passing early yesterday thru the FB Messenger Group Chat of former CCFI Youth members. It shocked me. Through the years, since we lost contact, I never really imagined that you will go the way you did. Although I am all too aware of health issues even from 20 years ago. 

I guess I have forgotten that you, along with me and all other human beings in the planet, have grown old. I'm sorry if we lost touch. I searched for your Conversation in FB Messenger and I was painfully reminded how many times you tried to reach out to me. I apologize if I haven't even tried to reply. I guess I'm too busy to do so...or maybe I just don't want to. Or maybe I'm ashamed because I may have thought that you will condemn me for the life I chose to live. I never even gave you a chance and for that I am truly sorry. 

 I remember your generosity and your kindness. I remember you always had the time to listen, to give advice. I remember your leadership. Most of all, I remember you being a true big brother to me and for that I am thankful. My thoughts are with your family today. 

To be honest, I never thought you'd marry. I knew you were praying for someone to share your life with but I also know that you don't mind being single. You were always quick to point out that singlehood is a blessing. You just don't know how happy I was for you when I saw you post a photo of your wedding day. How I smiled when I learned that you were blessed with child. Sadly, I didn't even bother to comment and say my congratulations. I should have let you know that I am celebrating your happiness with you. 

 And now, you're gone. There's no chance for me to even say how thankful, how happy or even how sorry I was for not getting in touch. I now realize my mistake and I think that no matter how far I was from the Christian spectrum, you would have understood. Afterall, you're my big brother and you never failed to understand anything.

You lived a good life, Kuya Noks. You have fought a good fight. You have kept the faith. 

There are so many things that that I regret and if I could turn back time, I would not have resisted your attempts to revive our relationship. I'm sorry if you became one of the victims of my "forgetting the old life" phase. I know better now and moving forward, I know what I should do.

Thank you and God speed.

Should I Come Back to Blogging?

It's been 10 years na pala? How time flies. Now I really, truly believe that whatever you put out in the internet stays there forever. Imagine this blog? It's been a while since I last updated it. Although I've never stopped using the gmail associated with it, never would have thought that I'd still find whatever it was that I've written from 10-12 years past. Time definitely changes you. I browsed randomly thru the articles I wrote and I realized how pathetic I was back then. The articles are full of musings of a person longing (or looking) for something that may never be there anymore. So what now? I'm working from home (like everyone else who can) since mid-March. Manila is still under community quaratine although authorities are easing it up. President Duterte declared that the country is under State of Calamity until September 2021. I'm somehow glad that Covid-19 happened this year and not 10 years ago. Can you imagine the impact it would have made in the economy if it did? Some people are complaining about the lack of socialization which is funny because when people get-together these days, most of the time, they just stare at their phones. Technology has made it harder for us to really interact with each other. Everyone's hiding behind their computer screens, creating a persona which is totally different from their actual ones. It's getting harder to identify who's real and who's fake. So the question remains: should I return to blogging? I don't know. Perhaps yes. Maybe.