Saturday, January 05, 2013

Thoughts: Missing You

I should be asleep, but I just couldn't sleep without typing this down.

---

Sometimes I wished I had more time to spare. More days to spend with you. These past several months flew by like wisps of thought. I could barely take hold onto any of them. 

I relive every moment. Every second that I spent laughing, talking, arguing, and walking alongside you, lying next to you in complete silence. No word uttered from the other's lips, merely enjoying the presence of the other. 

I would miss how we would walk around campus with music from my phone playing in the background, against the deafening silence of the night. Talking about random stuff and how each other's day went before sinking back into comfortable silence, lost in our own thoughts but not forgetting about the one beside us.

I would miss how we laugh at the crudest things and find something funny in almost anything. How we laugh like idiots on the sidewalk and ignore the looks shot our way for we were too darn happy to care what they think. I would miss your jokes, the expectant face and excited tone that came with it.

I would miss every tick of the hand, every drop of rain, every turn of the page... anything that would remind me of those times we spent in the library enveloped in the scent of paper and newly washed floors. Us sitting comfortably side by side or across each other, our attention on the books in our hands. 

I would miss you reading to me. Telling me stories of a life I never once knew. Sharing with me things you never would to anyone. Letting me in, letting me be a part of you. Trusting me. I would miss how you wrote about your feelings. How you would tell me it's utter trash and I would dissuade you from throwing it away. How you would be so happy to tell me you wrote something new. 

I would miss the times we spend in your car laughing at jokes on the radio or listening to your playlist. How we spend our time together when stuck in traffic. How we try to find a new place where we can go to and try out for the day. 

I would miss our long chats at a local cafe with me taking brewed coffee while you going for the frappe. I would make myself comfortable in my plushed chair, being lulled to sleep by the blanket on my lap and the warmth emanating from your body as you sit closely next to me. You wouldn't wake me until you're done with your drink, teasing me mercilessly for having fallen asleep again. 

I would miss waiting for you after class or our lunches. How you would complain and I would listen. How I would complain and you comment. How you would raise a really controversial topic, launching us both into a heated debate over chicken and Cola.

I would miss you asking me to accompany you for an errand or asking me for pieces of advice despite me not being well knowledgeable about the topic.

I would miss giving you cards, small gifts, or bars of chocolate. And I would miss getting some from you too with an added grin on your face like you've done the grandest thing in the world. I would miss surprising you with cake and a song number, which I would still pull through despite you telling me not to for I make the gods cry.

I would miss the countless hours we spend at the laboratory. How we end up getting into a tickle fight, shielding our bellies with our arms, books, hands, bags, or whatever is within our reach at that present moment.

I would miss the way you held my hand and positioned the other behind my back, ushering me for a dance. I laugh nervously for I forgot how and you guided me through every step. 

I would undeniably miss you. 

And I wouldn't mind if you didn't feel the same way. You wouldn't know I felt this way. We would go our separate ways without even looking back. You would soon find someone to replace me, and I might too. Life continues and all these times we have spent with each other would be nothing but memories at the back of our minds, only to be brought to light on our next encounter.

I just hope you remember.

Just remember how it was. How we were both happy.

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Thoughts: Years from now...

To: ---

Hey, how have you been?

It's been a while since we last saw each other. Sorry for not answering the phone or replying to your messages. Things have been hellish these past few months, I can barely breathe. But I'm managing, thanks for asking. You shouldn't even be worrying about me. I'm used to this type of environment. You should be more worried about yourself though. Actually, all this worrying won't do you any good either. 

I don't know what I put myself into. I don't know if I should even be glad about it or not. Things are just piling on top the other. Everything's just messed up! Not to mention I'm getting you involved in all this... that's not how it's supposed to be.

Well enough about me. I haven't heard from you. You stopped sending me messages from down there. You must have been hurting after all the things you've gone through. I don't know why I'm incapable of feeling the same way you do. I bet it would have helped if I did. How are you holding up? I heard you're struggling... if there is anything I can do to make the pain any less, please tell me. You're not alone.

You're strong. I don't think I would still be sane after everything. How can you still care when they don't? How can you still love when any relationship is bound to get cut off? To end? How can you still worry about others when you yourself also need help? How can you? I've been trying to tell you time and again to not get too close with everyone. Losing them would hurt. 

You need some time for yourself, you know? How long has it been since you did? I bet you didn't want to have the time off because others need you. 

As always.

Well I hope you reply back to me soon. I wouldn't want you running cold. It's unlike you. If you did, I think I wouldn't be able to handle myself anymore either. Don't turn hard on me now. Please.

Take care.

From: ---

Thoughts: Making Choices


This was an entry I wrote days before. I'm not angry here. Just troubled.

---

Sometimes I can't tell what it is being asked of me.

Why do you ask me to be selfish? 
Why do I have to prove anything to you? 
I thought you would support me in my dreams. Then why do you sound disappointed if my dreams don't match yours?


I couldn't bring myself to think about my situation without taking into account those who would be involved. If my choice would put others in the snitch, it would take me even more time to think about giving an answer. I do consider your input, thanks for making it clear to me what it is you want, but have you ever asked yourself whether the tone of your voice, or how you phrase your statements, affect my judgment? They're not the least bit helpful. It clouds my senses. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't think for myself. Although I consider the other, there's not much of me that goes around the discernment.

You gave me options months ago. I thought I still had choices... but you make it sound like I don't have any at all. It feels like this is the best choice. The ONLY choice available for me.

Is it?

You give me the pros and cons of going through with it. It will be challenging, stressful... everything that I try to keep myself away from. I have thought about my health, how it would affect my performance, what my body needs to be in tiptop condition. You worry that I might get sick. You worry about what will happen to me for the chances of losing my sanity are great there. But why do you keep on saying you would be proud if I went through that ordeal? If I became what you wanted me to be? Why dissuade me yet at the same time encourage me? You encourage me more actually, and that's downright confusing. I suggest an alternative, you respond with not that much enthusiasm. 

Are you not happy with what I want?
Isn't that what I wanted?

I'm not saying I would be better off. Some earn well, some don't. I just want to give something back, impart knowledge, and taking the other route might be the shortest and cheapest way to it. Less demand on you too, but you won't let me have that. You tell me you have a condition. "There's something wrong with him." you said to me. "Don't let it trouble you or get in the way of your dreams." 

How can I not be troubled?

The more my choices dwindle down. I thought I had the freedom to pick where I want to study. Turns out I don't. As much as I want to lessen expenses and make it more convenient for you... I don't want to study here. I can't bear it having you see me in distress! I'm not being selfish. At least in this aspect, I'm not. I'm thinking what would be good for both of us in the long run. I'm sure I would have breakdowns. I know you would be stressed from work, and I don't want to add to that. I already feel I am in more ways than one. There has to be distance. And I'm used to things being this way. I just hope you can figure out what I'm getting at because it's a pain to persuade someone who has already decided on what they want and how they want it. I don't have any back-up. How can you make someone who refuses to listen, listen?

The best I got out of talking about it is a deadline. "March." 

I have to decide then. 

I have to think about whether the path I'll be taking will make me happy. However you look at it, no one would know for sure. I might be at the start, but there's a chance I would eventually grow tired of it like most people far off in their careers. Either I choose to be happy or regret. 

I'm bound to find happiness in it... perhaps. I usually do.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Thoughts: Getting To Know Me

I find it funny that the person 
who understands me the most 
is actually someone I argue with 
most of the time.
They have seen me angry,
they have seen me think, 
they saw how 
the wheels turn in my head.
They know what to search for
in my eyes and in my tone.
If I knew what I was saying
or if I was making it up as I go.
They wait for me to stop
before they say their piece. 
And they say it 
with utmost civility.
I won't say I lost
in the argument we just had,
and neither did they win
for being outwardly calm.
We both understood the other. 
Our words flew and were received.
Funny how the person
I argue with the most
knows me best.


Thursday, December 27, 2012

Thoughts: Warmth

So I decided to turn in the pen on mushy stuff and figured I should write about something else for a change. 

---

Christmas.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear it?

Love. Cheer. Family. Christmas food. Gifts. Homemade cookies with mugs of warm milk or cocoa. Snow. A well-lit fireplace with you and your loved ones, snug under woolly blankets or wrapped in hand knit scarves, around it. Late night conversations over a board game. Stories about that big man that goes down the chimney and hops from one home to another in a red sleigh drawn by flying reindeer. Christmas bonuses. Kisses. Hugs. Goodbyes. Another cold night under the stars, you frantically looking for anything to keep you warm throughout the night. A barrage of carolers. Christmas songs being played over and over. Stores brimming with people shopping for Christmas presents. Christmas parties where in most you don't even want to attend but you have to because you don't want to make anyone feel bad or dislike you.

Going through the list above, it seems that Christmas can take on a whole bunch of meanings, both good and bad. 

Well, if someone asked me that... I would have to say: warmth. Small acts of kindness, a phone call or a text from someone you care about, home-cooked full course meals, presents, touches of affection... all these bring in warmth.

My Christmas has a lot of warmth in it. 

Despite us not having those Christmas traditions most families would have, like having to perform in front of relatives and the like or having the entire kin meet up for a day or two, we try to get in as much warmth into our celebration as possible. Even if my mom just got back from work at the clinic or being called in for an emergency or papa had things to take care of (for business) other than the holiday dinner, we try not to let such things trouble us much and just bury it in what followed that night. 

We don't have reunions. Our family is so dispersed that calling in each one would be such a great inconvenience. Worth it and probable, yes. And I'm not saying that they dislike the idea. You just can't call on everyone to rendezvous in one place for two weeks or less for the sole reason it's Christmas Eve and you want to dine together. You have to be practical about it. The cost for lodging and food, and they have jobs to take care of too, can be a great hindrance. You can never be selfish; even though you want to be and you do have a point to think so since it is Christmas. You cannot expect, especially when the concerned party has a family of their own, for them to just come to you because Christmas is to be spent with 'family'.

That's why when I think of Christmas I never really think about family. There's just me and my parents and younger brothers. A Facebook greeting to other relatives and a phone call to my grandparents. That's all there is. For some reason, I'm okay with it. Used to it perhaps. The warmth I search for is there nonetheless. 

Still I can't help but think how it would be if things were any different. If how we celebrated Christmas was similar to how other people celebrated it. But I guess that's too much to ask for.

I'm content with how it is with mine. :)


Monday, December 17, 2012

Dreams

I had this dream.

I was pregnant in that dream.

I wasn't happy, to say the least.

I was looking out into the ocean, listening to waves come up the shore. I couldn't feel the sand beneath my feet, so I assumed I was at the pier.

In that dream, I remembered telling the man I loved to leave me. I didn't want to force him into the relationship we shared. The baby was unplanned, and it felt like he was staying just because I had the baby, his child, and not because he loved me. Not because he cared for the baby.

I told him that if he loved me and cared for the child, he will come back. I told him I can work before the baby comes. Perhaps at a bookshop. He didn't have to support me for I can do so on my own. I didn't hear his reply. I couldn't even make out his face. But I knew he was hesitant about it. I felt it. And I also knew he wanted to leave.

I was holding him back. He was not supposed to be with me. I took his life from him. I burdened him. He was unhappy.

I didn't want my child to know that. I didn't want to see myself as a burden either.

"Leave."

And he did.

In the dream, I knew I loved him. I just wasn't sure if he loved me back.

But I hoped he would come back to me, as I stared out into the sea. One day he'll turn up at the doorstep, with a smile on his face and his arms wide open, beckoning me into his embrace. And his eyes… they would be pouring with love. I would drown in that love. The baby will kick, jumping in joy for it felt his mother was happy. Happy that father came back for him and her.

I just hoped.

I knew it was futile to expect as I continue on looking out. I must have done it everyday for the heaviness continued gaining weight.

And I woke up.

I woke up, promising myself that I should never come to such an end. I will never come to love such a man. 

Thoughts: Overcoming Loneliness

Man is incapable of being alone.

As I walked down the cobbled steps that lead to the main road. It was eerily quiet.

How can man be able to live like this?

After having accustomed oneself to companionship, how is one able to get back to settling back alone without yearning for the presence of the other?

That's the main reason why I didn't want to become too close. Imagine the hurt that comes after the separation. During, there's not much to think about. There's still that hope that you'll see each other again. Some day. But when the days pass, weeks stretch to months, and the possibility of finding each other again grows thin, the ache starts to settle in. You start to curse at the heavens for it being unfair, for it hand-picking you from the lot to be one of those who suffer.

"Why should I be subject to such pain? Such torment?"

"I never deserved this!"

We always think that. And the more we do, the more we hate. The more we fuel our anger, our contempt, at something (or someone) whom we cannot even concretize. The inability to pass the blame on something tangible forces you to be angry with yourself. To despise yourself.

To regret.

"Why did I do this? Would it have been better if I didn't?"

Possibilities. Endless possibilities. You wouldn't have been able to predict these from happening. Never.

But you can still continue on hoping. Go through their Facebook accounts and see how happy they are on the other side. Occasionally catch them online, chat for a moment, then they tell you they had to go since they had to take care of something and will catch up with you some other time.

When?

You stare at the gray bubble, hoping that it turns green again.

What happened? Why did things come to this? Before these chats would last for hours. We end at the wee hours of the morning, only to continue with the conversation later that day. If I tell you to meet up, we meet up. If I tell you I was bored, we go out and do something silly.

You were within reach.

Always within my reach.

But now you aren't, and what did you leave me with?

Memories.

Memories that continue to torment me. Haunting me. Hurting me.

Should I have been better off without meeting you? Would it have been a more painless transition?  All I can do is smile as I go over our old pictures. Photographs of the past. Frozen. Still. Never aging.

Maybe this is the reason why man can't be alone.

We need someone whom we know would be there when we get back from work. We need someone within our reach.

Friends have their own lives to worry about. They are temporary. They cannot always be there for you whenever you need them. They can turn against you, they can forget about you.

Your life is not their concern.

But that someone… how are they any different? Don't they also have their own life to worry about? Aren't they also temporary? Limited? Can't they also turn against you? Forget about you?

You hope that they won't.

You believe they won't.

You trust they won't.

So you still hurt.

You hurt even more because of how much you believed in them. How much you trusted them. How much you hoped that they would be different from the others.

Risk.

And again another set of painful memories await.

Man is incapable of being alone… but he is better off alone.

If you don't want to get hurt, to feel empty when the other half left, don't make friends. Don't meet anyone new. Don't interact.

Distance yourself.

However, you are never assured you can keep at this forever.

There is always this one person who would initiate. Who would dare approach you from the crowd and say hi. Who would dare tell you their name and ask for yours. And you couldn't do anything but answer back in kind.

The cycle continues.

Prepare to be hurt. It's inevitable.

You'll be angry with yourself for falling into the same trap again. You will regret ever making the same choice. But you won't mind that as the relationship progresses. You'll be happy. You'll hope for forever. A temporary high. Assuming. Reassuring.

And that's all you.

So try not to be so hard on yourself. You're only human. 

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Thoughts: Never

You'll never find out.

You'll never find out how much I liked you.

Even if you did come across these petty notes of mine.... each one of them filled with such longing... You can't tell if it was meant for you.

You won't be able to.

You're stupid that way. You choose to be. I hope you continue on being so. 

Good that you are for I don't want to spoil anything just because of this silly infatuation I am supposed to have grown out of.

So I watch you walk away. A smile on my face. I want to laugh at your obliviousness. It's just too funny!

I draw air in. 

That was a good laugh.

I wipe away the drop that formed at the corner of my eye.

Nothing's going to hurt me anymore. 

You disappear.  

This will be the last. I don't want another you to come by. 

But if he ever comes... I won't budge. My heart won't. I won't give in...

It won't.

Dialogue

The leaves rustle. Branches sway. The sky was jet black with specks of starlight. The moon shining brightly. It was full.

Lying in an open field was a boy and girl. The girl was wearing a white shirt underneath her worn out jumpers. Her hair was a chestnut brown, a darker shade in the night. On her left was a boy, his hair just as black as the night sky. His complexion was fair, very fair, practically glowing under the moonlight. 

She
What do you think?

He regarded her at the corner of his eye.

He
About what?

She
Me?

He
What about you?

She
Is there something wrong with me?

He
Now what makes you think that?

She
Is there something wrong with me? I asked you first.

He
I refuse to answer.

She
Why won't you answer me?

He
Because there's nothing wrong with you.

She
There isn't?

He
None.

She
...

He
Your turn to answer.

She
What?

He
Why did you ask?

She
Just curious. No particular reason.

He
I've known you for so long... enough to know that you're lying. What made you ask?

She
Who said I was lying? It's not my fault you don't believe me.

He knew that there was nothing else he can do about it. She wasn't going to tell him why. Something was wrong.

She
How was your 'date' with Sally yesterday?

The emphasis on the word was not lost to him. It was only until then did she flop on her stomach to look at him. Interested was she.

He
It was fun. We went to see Uncle Drew. She got herself a new wheel for her bicycle. And it wasn't a date.

She
It wasn't?

He
It wasn't.

She
Oh...

He
Why do you want me to be with her so much?

She went back to her usual position now. Her eyes fixed on the twinkling lights.

She
...

He
Why?

She
Is it wrong for me to think it?

He
Can't it be with another girl?

She
You don't like Sally?

He
It's not that I don't like her... I can't... I just can't be me with her. 

She
You just need to spend more time with her that's all. You'll like being with her in time.

He
...

She
What?

He
I don't get you at all...

She
Hm?

He
Nothing, nothing.

They continue on in silence. Lost in their own thoughts. One did not dare push the subject any further. 

It was fear.

It had always been.

Neither one of them wanted to risk it. They would just have to be content with what they have... with what they share. 

Content.

But are they?

Monday, December 10, 2012

Thoughts: Shifting Out

Sometimes, you can’t help but be part of the audience.

Unsuspectingly, you become part of it.

Helping myself to a Mcflurry with Oreo Overload, I watch intently: family reunions, friends conversing over piles of fries, and couples spending time together, just talking about who knows what, in tables situated by the corners or near a wall or window. 

These are strangers interacting with one another as music plays softly in the background. The rest of the world just fades away as they drown in each other’s presence.

I can’t help but think how many people I have yet to meet in this planet. I have yet to have them in my life, and I have yet to be in theirs.

“What are they talking about?”

“If I had lived differently… if I was a different person, if my parents hadn't met, by a sliver of chance would I have met these people before me now?"

What would it be like if I did?

A lot of what-ifs.

One can't help but ask "What if...?" every now and then we find ourselves asking. 

"What if it didn't happen?" 

There a number of things that could have been and a number that couldn't. You just have to remember that you are not in control. 

You have never been. 

If you were, would there be such a thing as the unexpected? Unexpected meetings with people you would have least expected to become a part of your life, to have their names on your pages. Their faces, character, everything about them, etched in your memories. Chances you never knew that would come your way. 

You never know how things turn out in the end, whatever decision you make. You might have planned your whole life before you, but there's no guarantee that you'll follow it through.

I guess this is where the problem lies in all of us. We tend to look back and think life would have been better IF we chose the other.

How sure were you it would have been?

Could it be that you're here now for a reason?

There must be. 

There must be a reason why I'm not with those group of people in front of me, laughing at something I have no clue about. There must be a reason I'm not that girl cuddling with the guy at the corner. There must be a reason why I'm here, alone in my seat, eating McFlurry and typing away in my laptop.

Yes, things might have been a whole lot different, there's no denying it. But I don't know if it would have been better. What was important was that you decided, it was your choice alone and you stuck to it. You walked from point A to B. There's a reason you walked. There's a reason why you didn't stop. 

And nothing will stop you until you find out why.

Thoughts: Hoping

The light falls on the canopy. Gray buildings rush past my field of vision, the clouds a dark, intimidating hue of blue. I wonder if it will rain...

It was the day of the NMAT and everyone was in high spirits. Well... most of them I think. The car I was in slowed down to a halt. Regine, who was beside me, was busy reading Physics. I couldn't care any less. Cramming information into my brain now won't be of any use. 

The street was brimming with vehicles of all shapes and sizes, carrying one or a whole group. Students all over Manila were rushing in to get to their assigned rooms. Some decided to spend their time reading up. They were seated on stone benches browsing over worn out notebooks with pages covered with ink smudges. I guess those notebooks dated back three years ago and saw the light of day only weeks before. 

"I wonder how I would do?" that was the only thing that kept on running in my head days prior. Would it have made any difference if I studied? Would I still feel this unease? I wasn't feeling well at all. I had a headache, and my stomach was being rather cruel. "Perhaps I shouldn't have eaten breakfast..." 

I got down the car. We decided to cover the remaining distance on foot. My friends and I made our way to the Information Desk to meet up with the others. There were two of us who'll be taking it the first time, the rest were doing it the second time. Only one was at her third take, in hopes of getting a 99+.

"Should we go to our room?" I asked, after getting pencils from Kim.

Regine nodded and the group split up, agreeing to rendezvous at lunch in one of the kiosks behind the hospital. 

"This is the building, right?" we were assigned to Albertus Magnus. 

"AMV... could be the Accountancy building." having checked the campus blueprint, with the testing areas shaded, it must be AMV.

But it wasn't. We had to go farther down the Accountancy building to get to Albertus Magnus. 

"Someone doesn't want me to take the NMAT." I joked. Why wasn't it shaded and indicated on the map? 

Since Regine's room was on the second floor, we separated. "Room 319." 

UST has a weird way of assigning room numbers. The room before mine was 317. 318 was on the other side. "I wonder why..."

I waited out along with other students. I don't know from what school they were from, I wasn't even sure if they were still students! There were those who looked like they were already working. They could be taking the NMAT for fun or they just realized at their age what it is that they wanted to do. The moment of self-realization comes later in others, I guess. 

Well, at least that moment comes. Better late than never. I'm still at a loss at what I want to do. But I have a rough sketch of what it is I want to accomplish. For me, there's a difference between what you want to do and what you want to happen. Whatever you want to happen you can make happen regardless of what you do. Just make it a point to always have that objective in mind. 

I want to inform. I want people to be updated. I want to discover something new that is beneficial to human kind. How to make that happen is up to me if I want to make it happen. There should be a want, a desire, to make it real.

Let's say I can't be a doctor. Let's say I can't be a researcher. But since I have such goals I want to be realized, whatever profession I can make it work. 

So I guess there's nothing much to worry about. Things might not go according to plan, but who knows? Eventually they might. Progress is slow, but it doesn't mean nothing's changing. Minimal but moving. I guess those who appeared to be working and took the NMAT were those people who couldn't wait anymore. Like what another friend of mine said, "We cannot delay gratification." We need to see change. I think it is only through that we gain assurance. Assurance that we are doing something worth it.

I might reach that point: too impatient... frustrated... seeing my life as utterly pointless. But I'll just focus on what I have now and see where it brings me. I just hope I will be content with the outcome.

The unease should wear off by now. 

"Arielle Vidal." the proctor called out behind rimmed spectacles.

"Here."

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Thoughts: A Response

Your back was to me. I tried to call out. 

I did.

But you didn't turn my direction. You didn't even stop walking. I didn't know what else to do. I don't want to run after you. 

I silently prayed for you to stop.

"Hey!" a small voice called out.

It was sweet, warm, and soft. Like a feather making ripples on the water. Light. Soothing. 

You stopped.

Should I be relieved?

You turned.

Should I be happy?

You made your way toward her. Not me. Towards her.

She smiles. Opening her arms wide she beckons you forward, and you comply. Steps are more hurried, as if you couldn't wait to be enveloped in her warmth; to entangle your fingers in her strands, pulling her close... very close. The rest of the world fading into nothingness... including me.

I watch as the scene before me tears me apart. 

I feel something trickle down my cheek. I ignore it. I manage a smile.

I turn away, not looking back. Content with knowing that you are happy...

Even though it's not with me.

Thoughts: Farewell, stranger

Over it
Done with it
You are no more
Than a passing glance.
You don't deserve it
Not at all
What more is there
To ask?
I don't want to see you.
I don't want to feel you.
Your breath, your touch
On my fragile skin
Nor do I want to hear
Your beating heart
Your grunts and gasps
As you make your way
To me.
Good-bye.
Farewell.
Again, a stranger.
That was how 
It was supposed to be.
That was how
It should have been.
Distant.
Empty.
A passing glance.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Quotes

"Showing a little bit of kindness to people recognizes that everyone around you is just like yourself."
- Catherine Ryan Hyde (Reader's Digest, March 2009)

True.

Well, if you see yourself as someone who far superior than others, most likely you would not treat others the same way you would do to yourself. You would treat them like dirt beneath your feet, or don't even bother giving them some of your time seeing as yours more important than theirs. 

For me, small acts of kindness show that you acknowledge the person. "Hey, you're there. I can see that you're suffering, so here's a cupcake." There's sympathy. In some cases, empathy. "I feel your pain as if it were mine." In philosophical terms, that person is not an object but a subject. He/she is capable of feeling, just like you. And knowing that they are able to do so draws you to act for you can also see yourself in the situation you're in. "What if I was he? What would I want another person to do?"

---

Since this is my blog... I'll use it as my diary of sorts. Haha.

Me and a close friend of mine were talking last night about my personality. The conversation went there because of a guy whom I can't figure out. And I can't help but wonder what is it about me that seems to keep him sticking around. I mean, there are other people he can be with aside from me, why does he have to always be around me?

My friend told me that I have this 'super friendly' aura that draw people in. I have no limits when it comes to friendship. I am not selective. 'Friend' thinks that weirdo guy is drawn to that aura of mine. 

"Perhaps that's why he's different around you."

I think being too kind has its drawbacks. People expect you to be kind every time. And you can't help but comply. 

Quotes

“I think that perhaps we always fall in love the very first time we see the man of our dreams, even though, at the time, reason may be telling otherwise, and we may fight against that instinct, hoping against hope that we won't win, until there comes a point when we allow ourselves to be vanquished by our feelings...”


The man of your dreams here would mean the man whom you see as your ideal. Appearances can be deceiving. But I'm not here to put anyone down. Just a word of caution. 

This really applies to me. Haha. 

I met this guy in college. He's... unattainable. I guess that would be the best description I can give you. Knowing that he was, I go against the feeling. I tell myself that it cannot be, that I should just give up and find another guy to 'fawn' over. Haha. 

It was futile. 

It was pretty darn hilarious and idiotic! 

So I stopped going against it. I decided to go on with it, to the point that I wanted to tell him how I felt. This is just me. I just wanted him to know, nothing more.

I wrote a letter. I didn't go with the floral, scented stationary and the script handwriting. I kept it as uniquely me as possible: blunt honesty with a hint of sarcasm and humor.

Fate was against me that day I planned to give it to him. The letter ended up all ripped in the bin. 

I didn't get to tell him properly. 

The desire to not like him increased. I don't want to see him anymore.

But it can't be helped. He pops up too often. He talks to me. "Just go away!" I scream in my head. 

He doesn't budge.

The feelings came back. Unfortunately. Not to mention I found out that a close friend of mine also likes him. I found it weird, so I decided to move away. Stupid heart doesn't want me to (ew). 

For now, I don't know where this is going. I'll just leave it be. I still like him... even though he's such a jerk and not even good-looking. Darn personality, humor, and freaking nice eyes of his. BE GONE!

La Corda D' Oro

Ever since Athena introduced me to this new manga, I can't seem to get enough of it.

The manga is about a girl named Kahoko and she was forced by a fairy named Lili to participate in the school's concours, a contest where the finest musicians of the school compete. 

Before we go any further, I would first like to talk about the school. The school is divided into two: general and music. The general students are those who do not have music as part of their curriculum. Basically, they're just regular students. The music students , obviously, have music. They center their lives on music. 

Kahoko is a gen-ed student who doesn't have any background on any instrument. Lili, the fairy protecting the school, gives her a magic violin that reflects the player's feelings when played with. Regardless of lack of experience, if she puts all her heart into her playing, a sweet melody is produced.

This manga has inspired me to play the violin again. I'm getting rusty since its been so long since I've played. I have been searching for musical pieces: Chopin, Pachelbel, Beethoven, and Mozart. I like Pachelbel's Canon in D (if you are familiar with it you can tell why). And Beethoven's Fur Elise!

Playing these pieces will be tricky. I want to buy a new violin... If I can only get my hands on one, I'll play like there's no tomorrow!

Quotes

Source: http://www.paulocoelhoblog.com/images/e-cards/statuesoflife/images/statuesoflife01.jpg

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Jewelry Box

Since you trust me with the things most precious to you: they'll be just as precious to me too.

Even more.

- Arielle Vidal

 

Quotes

"Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do."
I have been collecting quotes since I was in high school. I have oodles in my old laptop and in three of my planners. I don't know. There's just something about coming across a statement and having it make sense to you. There are so many things in this world that don't make sense and here you are, looking at several words strung together so perfectly that you just had to note them down onto anything you have at hand, fearing that you would forget or lose sight of it for accidentally pushing the exit button.

The quote above, I forgot where I got it. But I guess it was from a friend who also collects quotes as well. I took note of it because I am aware that there are times I can't seem to accept not being able to do most of the things other people can. I guess you can say it's envy, but I don't think I am capable of such.

I always wonder why there are people who are more capable in some matters than I am. How come they can do it but I can't? Do I lack a certain trait or characteristic?

When it comes to matters of love, is there something about me that you don't find appealing? Is it because I am just... me... that you choose to be with someone else?

What is it that I lack? 

Or do I really miss something?

Perhaps I don't.

Perhaps I compare myself too much with other people, that's why I always say there's an inconsistency. Maybe there isn't any to begin with.

Why do I even care that I'm not like them? Why compare me with them in the first place?

Well... there are actually times when I think I could have done more in a task. And I guess those are the only times I can say my performance was unacceptable. However, sulking over it won't do me any good. Being able to push oneself out of the ditch is what's important. 

So there. Haha. I guess this where I end for now. :) Toodles!




Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thoughts: Sleep

The leaves rustle 
The water murmurs
Blades of grass swaying 
Gently in the wind 

Dogs chase
Birds swoop 
Crickets sing
Frogs croak

Feet ache
Beads of sweat on brow
The sun's rays
Beating against golden skin

Cool afternoon air 
Against abused flesh
Pebbles defenseless
Against the soles

Path was steep
Sight grew dim
A slip
Into an everlasting slumber