March 13, 2008
Older… Wiser?
I just heard this song from Colbie Caillat today. Read the lyrics and I think you’d appreciate it too.
Older by Colbie Caillat
Waited all my life for this day to come
I feel like letting go
Life goes on
Wasting no more time
So much to be done
Everything works out
So they say
Over my shoulder
It’s tough getting older
Yeah, yeah
Seems like nothing is black and white anymore
Shades of gray and I feel a weight over my shoulder
It’s tough getting older
I always thought that I knew where I’d want to go
Now I’m here and I find that I’m still getting colder
It’s kinda tough getting older
Here before my eyes
Many roads ahead
Time for me to choose one way now
If I take a chance
What lies down the road
Feeling so confused
Turned around
On and on
On and on
Yeah, yeah’
Seems like nothing is black and white anymore
Shades of gray and I feel a weight over my shoulder
It’s tough getting older
I always thought that I knew where I’d want to go
Now I’m here and I find that I’m still getting colder
It’s kinda tough getting older
Waited all my life for this day to come
I feel like letting go
Life goes on
Over my shoulder
It’s tough getting older
Yeah, yeah’
Seems like nothing is black and white anymore
Shades of gray and I feel a weight over my shoulder
It’s tough getting older
I always thought that I knew where I’d want to go
Now I’m here and I find that I’m still getting colder
It’s kinda tough getting older
Seems like nothing is black and white anymore
Shades of gray and I feel a weight over my shoulder
It’s tough getting older
Yeah it is tough when you get older. You’re no longer a kid that depends on your parents for decisions concerning your life because YOU are the one making it. It’s easier to just follow them around since you put your trust in them that whatever it is that they say is good for you. But as you grow up and eventually be on your own, you need to start to believe in yourself to know what it is that you want for your life and what will make you happy. After all, in this life, happiness is what people value most.
When you’re young it’s easier to make mistakes because you have a couple of years more to learn from it. But when you’re older, you tend to be more cautious and focus on the things that really matter. Is it money? Family? Career? Relationships? Whatever your priorities are, YOU are still the one to decide. No matter how wrong or how right that decision is, either you stick with it or you find some other way. Eventually, things will work out for you, one way or the other. Let’s just hope that however it turned out to be, you’d still end up being the winner. 
March 11, 2008
Paris Je’Taime
I still can’t get enough of this movie. We watched this last night and at first, I was a little bit confused on what the movie was trying to say. I didn’t get to appreciate it at first because the earlier segments were of entirely different stories. It was a little weird to watch a movie like this, but as it progressed, I felt somehow fascinated on how it will turn out to be.
The movie is a collection of several different short stories about love in the world’s most romantic city, Paris. It’s a take on the different aspects of love as told by 20 directors in each 5 minute segment. You’ll have romantic love, unrequited love, paternal love, a love that goes beyond boundaries, blind love, and so on. Some stories were weird leaving you with a big question in your head… huh? While some, truly touched my heart because of the simple tone or wit behind it. But the best part and my favorite would be the last story… maybe because everyone can relate to what the single traveller was narrating through her journey in the City of Lights. These are some of the lines that got to me….
But I’m not a sad person. On the contrary, Im a happy person. I have many friends and two wonderful dogs. Sometimes I think that it would be nice to have someone, with whom to share this life. For example, as I was looking down on Paris from atop a skyscraper, I wanted to say to someone: “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”But there isn’t anyone.
And then something happened, something that is hard to describe…
Sitting there alone in a foreign country, far from my job and all the people I knew, a feeling came over me. As if I recalled something, something that I had never known and for which I had been waiting. But I didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was something I had forgotten. Or something I had missed my whole life. I can only tell you that at the same time I felt joy and sadness. But not a great sadness. Because I felt alive. Yes. Alive. That was the moment when I fell in love with Paris and the moment I felt that Paris had fallen in love with me.
Yes, these lines said it all. It’s about being alone and yet finding happiness even in solitude. It is loving oneself but not so much as to not want to have someone to share it with. This is what we journey into as we go through life as a single traveller. L’amore may not find its way into you in the form of a companion but you can still be happy knowing you are alive and you see the world around you. And that my friend, is what love is all about.
March 7, 2008
I Say a Little Prayer for You
Back in college my HS friend Melai and I would often exchange snail mails at least 2x in a quarter. She lived and studied in Lucban, Quezon so we keep in touch via these handwritten letters. In one letter that she sent, I remember it was enclosed in a yellow envelope and it was 3 pages. She wrote her usual updates to me, that she misses us, he new found friends, her new school, her new experience. Towards the end it of it, there was a handwritten prayer entitled St. Joseph’s Prayer. It says that this prayer should be said everyday for 9 mornings. It’s like a novena prayer and whoever says it will be protected.
At first I just got the idea of saying it for 9 mornings, and then eventually it became my habit. I prayed for simple things, most particularly for my grades. I remember one time, I printed this prayer on a 8×10 short bond paper and had it laminated and placed it under my pillow. I believed and felt that I was protected everytime I sleep (I’m afraid of ghosts and spirits, in case you didn’t know).
I cannot say for certain that this prayer can fulfill every wish and every desire. (Besides, God doesn’t work that way) Some of my prayers did come true, some did not. I’ve also had my ups and downs. But still, I felt comforted that I have this little prayer to say every morning.
St. Joseph’s Prayer
O, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, so that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers. O, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach Him while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us.
February 28, 2008
Keeping Word
Isn’t it annoying when someone breaks their word on you? After all the things, decisions and plans you’ve made with them in the picture, they’ll bail out and just ditch you somewhere in the middle. Really irritating right?
I cannot say that I have made that kind of broken promise before, I have. But eventually I learned from a friend that when I said yes to someone, I should have a good reason to break it… like a life-and-death situation. It’s a deal you made with that person and for that you should do your best to honor it.
I can give allowances for once or twice mistakes. I can always give room for doubts despite what negative things people are already planting in my head. Believe it or not… even if it’s obvious that I have been wronged, I can still manage to give an excuse and that I would see something good beneath the situation.
However, I am only human. I am not a saint. I have my limits and breaking point. I can’t just smile away knowing especially that I’ve had enough. You broke a promise, and for me, I felt like a little kid again when my parents weren’t able to take me and my sister to a planned outing… and it hurt. This time I can’t make an excuse because I know that I can’t. Not anymore. Once or twice is enough…. more than that, sorry dude, I’ll have to strike you out.
Your word is important to me because when I gave you mine, I meant it and you can assure that I’ll do my best (even if it kills me) to keep it. I just hope next time, you’ll do the same for me.
February 26, 2008
Forgotten Dreams
Somebody once told me that the best way to see if you have achieved something is to write down all your goals on a piece of paper. Then once in a while, take a look at it and see which are the ones you have accomplished. I wrote my list in my organizer (when it was still popular back then) before and from what I can still remember, here are some of them:
- get promoted to the next level (I wrote this down when I was with a previous company, and yes I did get that promotion)
- travel to Hong Kong (still planning) and to other countries
- learn a new language
- study culinary arts
- get a master’s degree
- work in another country (ongoing… hahaha)
- learn martial arts
- learn how to drive
- build my mom her dream house
- be a millionaire by the age of 30
- own a restaurant
Hmm…. sad to say… not all of these I haven’t done yet. I’m still working on it. Hopefully by the time that I can still manage to fulfill these dreams someday despite everything that I have in my life right now. Oh well… at least now that this list is in here, I’ll have a reminder on what I should be accomplishing in the future.
