No Other Woman

             I just finished watching with my roommates, Joyce and Joan of the movie, No Other Woman. Honestly, I really don't feel like watching the movie. As a litt major, I felt like I already knew the ending of the movie, considering that it is a Filipino made movie, I assumed it has a happy ending, which it did, which did not in any way surprised me at all. Of course, the title itself tells us of the revolving conflict of wife vs. mistress, and husband being that weak one submits to the "power" of the other woman. 

            Taking literature aside, personally, I realized that "real" men ought to be "matatag". I realized na ang mga lalaki lang na "matatag" ang may kakayahan na tunay na maging loyal sa kanilang partner. If men are weak, they can easily submit themselves to temptations, to lies, much more to sex, which led me to thinking that it is really hard to be a "real" men in this world. There are emotions he cannot show, much more had to hide from people. Sabi nga ng character ni Christopher de Leon  sa asawa niyang character ni Vilma Santos sa Dekada 70, "akala mo lang kayo lang mga babae ang nahihirapan, nahihirapan din kami, mahirap din maging lalaki, masyadong maraming mga emosyon na itinatago lang dito (sabay lagay ng palad sa puso niya)'. 
              What do I mean by "matatag"? Loyal is a man with a strong "matatag" moral principles. Hindi naman sa nagpapa-righteous, but loyal is a man who does not joke on women, marriage, fidelity, much more on love. Loyal is a man who can stand up with these moral principles. I guess, personal morality goes with genetics. How you were raised as a kid determines your known principles. Loyal is a man with a strong faith in his God. A man with a strong faith is a good man. He will not hurt his woman and himself. He will stand with the vow that he had uttered to his woman and to God and that marriage is not just a mere slip of his tongue. He will not submit into temptation. Man can be a risk taker, yes, but if he has strong faith, he will still end up choosing the right way. He will stay away from temptation for he knows that it will ruin everything, his life, his marriage, his love. Iiwas siya dahil alam niya na sa umpisa lang masaya ang paggawa ng kalokohan. 
                        Matatag ang isang lalaking hindi uhaw sa sex. Matatag ang isang lalaki, if he knows how to take care of his woman, and puts it into action, each and every day. Matatag ang isang lalaki, if he knows how to make her woman happy, and puts it into action and not the other way around. Sabi nga ni father, sa isang retreat na pinuntahan ko, sa isang "matatag na romantic relationship" ang kaligayahan dapat ng lalaki is to see his woman happy.