The Theory of Everything, Including Valentine's Day

         Valentine’s Day is over and lovers all over the world must still be reeling, sore and tired from all those—what? You don’t know what Valentine’s Day is? You must be one of the bitter ones. Well, Valentine’s day is this overrated, corny and highly-commercialized occasion when you’re forced, uh,  okay, inspired, to show  your love to your beloved. The association of motel chain operators highly approve this occasion.

         Why would someone need a “special day” to express his or her feelings to another person  is beyond me. You’re in love? Then by all means smother your beloved with your love.  Tell her how you love her everyday; send her sweet messages; tell her how you find her very pretty (kahit bagong gising siya at hindi pa naghihilamos) and how you truly appreciate every thing she does; tell her how grateful you are that you’ve met her;  give her small gifts and frequently hold her hand and kiss her— do all these things often, unless, of course,  if yours is an unrequited love, because she is going to call the police and have you arrested— and then you’d meet all these single, love-hungry prisoners who’d all be eager to express their love to you.  And that wouldn’t be pleasant, to say the least.

         How to know if your love is unrequited without her directly telling you? Wait, let me arouse the love guru in me. Well, for one, the apple of your eye isn’t interested when she finds it hard (or when she takes time) to respond to your messages (be it text messages, Facebook pm or email, etc), especially when her replies are really brief. She’s most likely just replying out of courtesy. And the moment she stops really replying to you, well, there’s no more room for doubt there—she wants you to take a walk and get out of the way, Don Juan. Scram, then go into a corner and cry.

         This Valentine’s Day came as a blur but I remember being at home that day applying ice on my badly hurting arm (I was doing my 988th push-up, er, tenth push-ups that day a few days ago when I felt something snapping in my arm; luckily the pain is slowly subsiding now). What else did I do that day?

         Ah, yes I also watched The Theory Of Everything.

         The Theory Of Everything  is a movie about Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking who?  Well, he’s a world-renowned cosmologist who studies black holes (detailing Hawking’s works and expertise will cause me a massive migraine).  The film is basically a love story, narrating the relationship between the ALS-afflicted Stephen and his (first) wife Jane.

        The movie is simply astounding. The script is well-written and the actors are great, especially the two leads. Eddie Redmayne’s vivid portrayal of Stephen Hawking deserves an Oscar.  And I will not be surprised if this film will win best picture.

        There are many powerful and emotive scenes in the movie.  Okay, a bit of spoilers here. One of these scenes is where Stephen Hawking and Jane are playing croquet and Jane’s, chock-full of emotions, watching Stephen (who’s already showing the symptoms of his terribly debilitating disease) limp his way through the game.

        Another one is the scene where Stephen’s asking Jane to leave and forget him, telling her that he might die in two years, and Jane, unmindful of what he’s saying,  suddenly blurting out “I love you,” stunning him.  And she went on to marry him, despite the certainty that he‘d be a vegetable for life and the prospect of a bleak future.

        And if that’s not genuine love,  I don’t know what it is—it’s the kind that is worth celebrating during Valentine’s Day.

 The real (left) and reel Mr. & Mrs. Hawking