Merry Christmas to one and all! I had a rather lax Christmas eve, except for the Midnight Mass. I have not been to Midnight Mass for so long, that I have practically forgotten that it is supposed to be a semi-formal affair, and I felt what I was wearing was not formal enough. I was wearing a white knit-top complete with white pants, and I saw people wearing office wear and evening gowns. First time I felt so embarrassed at being so under-dressed.
But the mass was great! The spiritual atmosphere was all in the air, the priests were very emotional, the choir was fantastic and everyone was rejoicing. One of the few rare times when the church was actually full to the brim, and majority of the congregation were about half an hour early for mass. It was really a different feeling attending a normal Sunday Mass as compared to a once-a-year Christmas Midnight Mass.
When I went to church this morning, the atmosphere went back to that of a normal Sunday Mass. Why is the feeling so different? Is it to do with the occasion, but being Christmas, should the Mass not be of even more of a spiritual atmosphere? Or perhaps it is to do with the congregation. Midnight Mass is just so different. Maybe that is why people prefer to just go for Midnight Mass after not attending Sunday church sessions for the entire year.
I met Sen after church and we went for lunch and to watch "Narnia". Now after hearing two differing opinions of the show, although both reviewers declared they are impressed with the show, I sort of had a little expectations on it being an above average movie. After watching the show, I still think it is an above average movie, but not as impressive as I had imagined.
The children's characters were well-portrayed, and as the movie went on, there were certain parts which I sort of remembered from the book, but as for every book-to-movie adaptation, there were parts missing found in the book which would have made the overall movie more interesting.
For instance, the White Witch in the show was totally expressionless, when she was supposed to have a more cold and evil aura about her. The Lion King was supposed to be much more majestic looking, but the lion in the show looked so tame. Overall, it was a good adaptation, but the book still gives me the vibes after reading it, whereas the movie does not.
I was on my way to meet Sen earlier when I happened to pass by the cemetery where my two cousins were buried. I still feel so sad for them and their families, as their lives ended so young - one at the age of fourteen, after a major asthmatic attack, and the other at the age of ten after succumbing to leukaemia which she had been battling for four years.
Times like this I wish I had paid attention to where their graves were when my parents took me there in the past. Today, being Christmas, and since I was in the area, it was the perfect time to pay respects at their graves. But I was not about to go wandering around in a cemetery all by my lonesome, even if it was in broad daylight. So in the end I just said a little prayer for both their souls.
It is never easy losing a loved one, especially to death or natural disasters. Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of the drastic tsunami waves that affected quite a number of countries. Lives were lost, places were destroyed, everything had to be rebuilt, but the most important was those who lost their loved ones could never see them again. I have to remember the lesson from here and treasure those around me more, be they family or friends.
But the mass was great! The spiritual atmosphere was all in the air, the priests were very emotional, the choir was fantastic and everyone was rejoicing. One of the few rare times when the church was actually full to the brim, and majority of the congregation were about half an hour early for mass. It was really a different feeling attending a normal Sunday Mass as compared to a once-a-year Christmas Midnight Mass.
When I went to church this morning, the atmosphere went back to that of a normal Sunday Mass. Why is the feeling so different? Is it to do with the occasion, but being Christmas, should the Mass not be of even more of a spiritual atmosphere? Or perhaps it is to do with the congregation. Midnight Mass is just so different. Maybe that is why people prefer to just go for Midnight Mass after not attending Sunday church sessions for the entire year.
I met Sen after church and we went for lunch and to watch "Narnia". Now after hearing two differing opinions of the show, although both reviewers declared they are impressed with the show, I sort of had a little expectations on it being an above average movie. After watching the show, I still think it is an above average movie, but not as impressive as I had imagined.
The children's characters were well-portrayed, and as the movie went on, there were certain parts which I sort of remembered from the book, but as for every book-to-movie adaptation, there were parts missing found in the book which would have made the overall movie more interesting.
For instance, the White Witch in the show was totally expressionless, when she was supposed to have a more cold and evil aura about her. The Lion King was supposed to be much more majestic looking, but the lion in the show looked so tame. Overall, it was a good adaptation, but the book still gives me the vibes after reading it, whereas the movie does not.
I was on my way to meet Sen earlier when I happened to pass by the cemetery where my two cousins were buried. I still feel so sad for them and their families, as their lives ended so young - one at the age of fourteen, after a major asthmatic attack, and the other at the age of ten after succumbing to leukaemia which she had been battling for four years.
Times like this I wish I had paid attention to where their graves were when my parents took me there in the past. Today, being Christmas, and since I was in the area, it was the perfect time to pay respects at their graves. But I was not about to go wandering around in a cemetery all by my lonesome, even if it was in broad daylight. So in the end I just said a little prayer for both their souls.
It is never easy losing a loved one, especially to death or natural disasters. Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of the drastic tsunami waves that affected quite a number of countries. Lives were lost, places were destroyed, everything had to be rebuilt, but the most important was those who lost their loved ones could never see them again. I have to remember the lesson from here and treasure those around me more, be they family or friends.
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