A whimsical entry

TITANIC. What comes to mind? The supposedly unsinkable ship that sank? The names Jack and Rose? I guess for Leonardo Decaprio haters, the movie Titanic could be the most annoying film ever produced. After all, who could forget the “I’m the king of the world” phrase. Or the “I’m flying” one.
Well, why the sudden mention of the doomed ship? I caught the movie on television recently(the one by James Cameron, of course) and it just well, made me want to blog about it! I can’t put my finger on it , but watching the movie affected me unexpectedly. It’s one of those unexplainable things.
I admit that I don’t know history well, so I’ll be referring most of the time to the movie version .
First, the hard cold facts. The Titanic sank during her maiden voyage to New York in 1912. There were 2200 souls on board and only 700 survived. The rest either drowned or succumbed to the freezing Atlantic waters. Investigations showed that she collided with an iceberg at 11.40pm and sunk completely the next morning at 2.20. Help only arrived later in the evening. Naturally, only those on life boats survived the wait. 20 life boats to be exact. Can you imagine, 20 lifeboats for a ship so massive!
Now, about the movie which won many many (err, can’t remember the exact numbers) academy awards. Who can forget it? It was such a massive hit at that time. Girls were besotted with Leonardo and went to see the movie repeatedly. And who can forget the theme song performed by Celine Dion. Overplayed, yes. But I found that it still touches my heart. That darn song manages to tug my heartstrings every time I hear it., even now. I used to dismiss the movie as a sorry lame excuse of a love tale disguised as an epic. Found it too soppy for my liking.
However, I admit that I was being too cynical. I actually enjoyed watching Titanic a second time. Yup, I found in it more than a love story. I felt as if I was in the story myself, feeling whatever emotions the characters were experiencing. I felt the hope of those aboard the massive Titanic. The pride and privilege of the rich to be aboard such luxury and splendor. The gratitude of the poor just to be aboard. The invincible Titanic herself. Towering high, offering safe passage to those 2200 people. Watching hope turn into feelings of fear and hopelessness.
The model of Titanic depicted in the movie could not be very far off from the real thing. It’s hard to imagine something that once represented the human accomplishment is now a perfect example of human ego and ignorance. It is a fact that there was not enough lifeboats in the Titanic. The price of over confidence were paid by lives, mostly the lower classes..sigh. Even in the world today, society still is divided by classes.
And where would the world be without love. The essence that holds the movie together would be the love story between Rose and Jack. In the end, one died while the other lived to tell the tale. However, I wouldn’t say that it was a tragic love story or that they were doomed lovers. What matters is that they found each other and had the chance to experience true love, albeit for a short time.
Even though Jack died, Rose went on with her life and eventually got married. That did not mean that she has forgotten him. In fact, it shows how much she loves him to live on and fulfill her promise even though his absence kills her. I guess what I’m trying to convey here is that when you love someone, you do not have to be together physically. And that someone will always have a special place in your heart and there is where their memory will always live on.
A deluge of emotions, of love, hope, fear, plus that darn Celine Dion music somehow touched me deep. It just felt so bittersweet in the end when Rose took her last breathe and her final dream was being transported back to the Titanic, restored to it’s splendor, her body young again, and Jack waiting at the staircase, with his arms extended to her. At the end, they were together again.
By the time the credits were rolling, so were my tears. I don’t believe it, but I cried while watching Titanic! Not the hysterical wailing sobbing kind of course. The tears were already building up at the end but the final straw came when the Celine Dion song started playing.
Love can touch us one time,
And last for a life time,
And never let go till the end…

I guess I was being silly. Crying over a movie, and Titanic at that too. Don’t know what came into me. However, I do feel now that the film deserved all to win each and every one of the Academy award that it did.

Err, for those who survived reading this far,wow! Even my fingers are aching from all the typing ...ouch
My week has been all right. The usual working week lor. Ah, fongky, I think I will write about the chemistry night some other time ya :p ranted quite a lot this time, mostly rubbish.
Have a good week everyone!! J