Up, up and Away!

Power of dreams, believing in yourself, imagination, friendship—these are just some of the values that you can see and learn from the movie UP. I was not really that interested to watch this movie because of the impossibility to fly your whole house with the use of balloons (and maybe because it is so ‘childish’ film). However, when we were asked to watch the movie and make a paper about it, I was shocked how the movie caught my full attention.



The movie is about a man who fulfilled his wife’s dream. The story started with a young Carl Fredrickson meeting for a girl named Ellie. The common factor between these two kids is their love for adventure. Both idolize Charles Muntz, a great explorer of the South America. Eventually, Carl and Ellie’s mutual desires made them a couple. During their first years as a couple, both strived hard to make their dream of traveling the wilds of South America possible. However, as years passed and they have their own real concerns, they forgot about pursuing their adventure. When Ellie died, Carl became grumpy. He was mad at the people who wanted to demolish Ellie’s dream house. Because of that reason, Carl began thinking of following their dream adventure. He decided that he will tie his house with a hundreds (or maybe thousands) of balloons so that he can fly without any hassle (of riding a plane or climbing mountains). As Carl’s work for that dream went on, a knock from his door was heard. An 8- year old boy named Russell was trying to earn his last badge from his scout. It requires him to help an elderly, and by chance, he chose to help Mr. Fredrickson. Mr. Fredrickson was not in the mood in letting the little kid interfere his work; however, since accidentally brought the kid in his plan, he decided to keep the kid instead. Throughout the story, they built a friendship between each other. Other characters such as the talking dog, Dug and a mother bird named Kevin. They helped each other to escape from the cruelty of Charles Muntz.



The greatest scene for me, is the letting go of Carl to his (and Ellie’s) house. I cried (and screamed inside) when Carl put away their furniture inside the house. Even their favorite couch and Ellie’s picture were left just to save his new friend Russell.



This movie is indeed not only for kids, but also for adults. The values and lessons instilled in this movie are remarkable. It taught me to hold on to my dreams, and make wise discernments in life. Life is not about what you have achieved, it is about thinking and thanking the people who helped you achieved that goal. Also, we must not let our lives be tied with the past. Yes, our past is essential to our being, but being completely hung up on it is not so good. Russell showed Carl that he must move on and mingle with the present. This movie is a sure hit, not only in the charts but in most of its viewers hearts.

Light

“The longing for light is the longing for consciousness…”
-Carl Jung

Last Thursday, we had a very fun activity wherein we will answer the questions as fast as we can. There are several questions that were asked like what is the greatest gift that you received, the greatest advice that was given to you, and what are the positive and negative traits that you have. I thought that this activity will be easy because you just need to answer in a word or a phrase. On the contrary, this activity turned out to be a lot difficult than what I have expected. You have to dig deeper in your experiences to find out the “perfect” answer to each question.


What makes you feel safe? That is one of the most interesting questions during the activity. Suddenly, the word ‘light’ crossed my mind, and I decided to write ‘light’ as my answer to that question. Light in many cultures and religions mainly signifies a brand new start. For me, the two most important and chief meaning of light is it gives you the chance to see what you must/ like to see and the weightlessness of the term itself. I never sleep without a light. A simple light in a dark room tells me that I shall not fear. Light makes me feel safe whenever I sleep because it assures me that I can see everything that surrounds me.

When I underwent a psychological assessment when I was in high school, I learned the reason why I cannot sleep without light. I was a really naughty girl back then, my mother and sister who do not have the temperament to adjust with my behavior. They would usually lock me in our CR without leaving a light (the switch was outside). They would lock me up for about an hour (depending on what I did) while begging them to let me out. It was a very bad experience and since then, I cultivated phobia of darkness.

I think that you now know why I feel safe whenever there is light. It assures me that I am not locked up and that I can see everything around me. It lets me feel that I have control over my surroundings.