There are lessons to be learned out there. Photo courtesy of Rajkamal Singh

There is that one train that everyone is going crazy about, so I hopped on it and found myself gladly entertained, especially since the latest season of “The Walking Dead” is taking damn too long to reach our spectrum. I find myself in a very hypocritical position saying this because generally I’m not the kind who likes zombie movies. However,  I came back from a weeklong out-of the-country mommy trip to a family that had to be peeled off The Walking Dead TV series. I did not succeed with the peeling, but they did a good job at getting me stuck. Now I want to have Morgan’s skillful but unaggressive fighting skills with the bo, Michonne’s arms, Daryl’s fearlessness and former-delivery-guy-turned-zombie-killer Glenn’s mettle. 

The last Korean movie I watched was Miracle in Cell Number 7, which, like this train, stirred up my curiosity. How, in my vulnerable humanoid existence, would I not be intrigued by all the talk, the memes and the references to “Train to Busan”? I found myself almost asking our Korean clients what the trains to Busan are like, but shut my mouth for the good of all. 

“Train to Busan” (written and directed by Yeon Sang-Ho) is well laid out -- formulaic, as Mr Young liked to put it, but with a few good surprises in all the right places. I like how it’s fast paced. There was no stopping from the first bite and there was no waiting -- something that I’m not willing to do in a zombie movie. My “morning after” realization of the movie included the fact that I did not know anything that pointed to the history of the virus. I initially thought that I just got lost in translation, but found out that the answer may be in the prequel “Seoul Station” also by Yeon Sang-Ho released in August this year.

While I’m still trying to decide if and when I’m going to watch “Seoul Station”, I can’t help but think of the life lessons I picked from the sequel’s eventful train ride. You can’t have possibly missed the glaring realities yourself.

1. Being too hardworking may be counterintuitive. 

One Wii per household only please. Photo courtesy of tiffanyyong.com

We all are zombified by the idea that we have to kill ourselves to earn, often forgetting that the ones we’re working hard for suffer from our absence {whether it’s physical, emotional, psychological, or worse, all of that.} Hard work is good, but it becomes pointless when it does not serve its purpose, unless you’re just another masochist who can’t find better things to do with your time. For instance, parents are oftentimes programmed to think that until they sweat blood, they’re not being  parents enough. Stop for a moment and think about what time spent with your loved ones can do. Once the biting starts, all that money you’re working so hard for will be nothing more than useless junk.

2. Selfish people are like Pokestops. 

He who shuts the door dies last. But dies unhappily nevertheless. Photo courtesy of heavenofhorror.com

They color the map. {I’m apologizing as early as now to Pokemon fans who might find this statement blasphemous}. You can’t make it your mission to eradicate them since that will be such a waste of your lifetime {you only have less than 120 years, remember?}. It is how you react to bad people around you that matters. They work very hard at making you unhappy and if you let them, you’re good as dead. Fate takes care of what needs taking care of. 

In your life story, it’s not how fast you ran to get to the last train of salvation that matters, but how strategically you ran to make it to the end. 

3. Be appreciative. 

Be better than this. Please? (Photo courtesy of hdonline)

Of course we like to think we all are. However, we oftentimes  put a price tag on our appreciation. How about the little things? I don’t mean it about something that you can put in small boxes. Be grateful about that smile on your kid’s face because that too, like everything else in the world, can change.

4. Help others as much as you can. 

Not all important meetings require you to wear crisp, clean shirts. (Photo courtesy of Joys of Asia)

You never know who’s going to lend you a hand in times of adversity. You don’t want to paint that pretty face of yours with shame one day.

5. Maintain a good sense of humor and save the world. 

We all have a favorite guy in every movie. I'm so favoriting this one. Photo courtesy of askkpop.com

When you read or hear people say that you’re taking the world too seriously, they may be right. If you can’t at least make one person smile every day, rethink how you want to be remembered, in case you’re the first to go in a zombie apocalypse.

6. Love. Just love.

Photo courtesy of flickeringmyth.com

Love, let it be known and don’t take time for granted. We don’t have that much time. 

7. Sing. 

The best way you can. Photo courtesy of popinquirer.net

Learn how to sing. Don’t sing all the way to American Idol -- that can be traumatic. Sing your way through life no matter how many times it changes its tune. You have no idea how much stronger you get by simply listening and learning the rhythm of life.

More importantly, sing...because it’s what makes you human. Until a new breed of singing zombies come along, singing will save your life. 

“Home” is a very strong theme in Yeon Sang-Ho’s stories -- whether it’s getting there or finding where it is. What I think resonated with the viewers is not so much that it was a zombie movie, but the subliminal suggestion that in one way or another, we’re all trying to get home. To someone. To something.

And sometimes we need to be chased to get there. 

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