me loves spidey

It was (not so) recently that Patty gave me another Spider-Man thingy.

What she gave was a blue tin lunchbox, with my favorite web-slinging hero printed on both sides. I was so happy because I have another one to add to my (not so growing) collection of Spider-Man stuff.

I started to be a fan of Spider-Man when I was in second year high school (it hasn’t been that long). My family, immediate and extended, went to see Spider-Man 2 in theatres. It was the first movie I saw on the big screen (hey, don’t blame me if there are no cinemas here) and I was so amazed. We then went to KFC and got Spider – Man tumblers. It was so cool.

From then on I became a fan of Spider – Man, getting and buying and begging for merchandise whenever I get the chance. I am not the comic-odyssey-action-figure-and-spider-man-comic-books type of person though, because I never had the money to support that vice. What I only have are original CDs of Spider-Man movies, action figures, stickers, pop watches, pencils, ID lace, that bucket from KFC, game boy advance game cartridge, and drawings I’ve made out of sheer love for my Spidey. My devotion to my dear Spider-Man also manifest through my Multiply layout and my mobile phone theme.

People find it kinda weird, you see. Girls like me would prefer powerpuff girls and hello kitty rather than a spider hero to idolize. At first I thought I have loved Spider-Man because I associated him with my mother, because every time my mother comes home from London, we always watch Spider-Man movies. But I came to love Spider-Man more than just because of that association; I have realized that Spider-Man is the hero that I wanted to be like. Not because I want a string of web coming out of my pulse and use it to dangle around the city (although I could always use that), but because of his morals. He is the hero that always remembers his Uncle Ben’s words: With great power comes great responsibility. He always thinks of others before himself, and though he doesn’t always win, he never gives up. He also has the coolest superhero costume in the planet.

What I love most about Spider-Man is his wits. He talks his way through fights to insult and distract his opponents but does his best on it as well. Seriously, whoever exchanges witty remarks like, “oh geez, a walking suitcase!” and “Look, slimy, we’ve got enough reptiles in the government. Why don’t you run for office like the rest of us?” to his opponents? (He said that before his battle with lizard in the Spider - Man 2 game in GBA) He knows his limitations, he is aware that the power he’s bestowed upon is a gift and a curse at the same time, and he knows that once he put on his amazing red-and-blue suit, he’s not Peter Parker anymore.

Spider-Man has taught me a lot: to stick to my decisions like the way he sticks to walls, to use my head the way he uses his spider instincts, and to fight for what I believe is right just the way he always does. And while I cannot use a secret identity to hide myself and be the world’s savior, I can always be my proud self and help others in my own ways.

Yes, I know that Spider-Man is fictional and he can never be real (hey, who knows?). But for me, Spider-Man is a character I’ll always believe in, because in him I also find myself, and the hero I wanted to be.