Held in the Cradle of Imagination

Somewhere in the nooks of my yellowing cabinet at our old home in Las Piñas, is my musty copy of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll. I remember skimming through it as a kid, didn't really chew every word I read, and wishing now that I have, thinking I can just spend my weekend devouring it just like my old days as a kid.

I caught the last run of the movie for that day (Tuesday) in 3D, nonetheless. Despite the discomfort of wearing the Dolby glasses, my eyes went bigger and bigger as I took in the rich colors and the intricate cinematography of the Tim Burton movie. I've read mixed reviews about it and despite not being able to remember a clear picture of how my imagination ran those days. I expected to think it was so so, or annoying at worst, what with my most hated actress ever, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen (Queen of Hearts). Much to my surprise, my liking for Carter's portrayal, as well as her quirky quips left my lips smiling and my heart skipping rope on its cage.

Image source // Refer to watermark

Imagination. It was my one collective takeaway from the wonderland that is Alice and the other characters. Six impossible things before breakfast. All the best people are mad.. There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter. Muchness. Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?

It's been four years since I've officially left school, since I've officially lost a chain that connects to a license I could use to call myself a kid. I've drowned in a sea of thoughts on how to rationalize things, of how everything should be on x and y and has to make sense.To me, being a grown up in an adult world required every inch of my brain to be fully rational, to be practical and to be sensible.

I miss being a child and being held in the cradle of imagination.