Arbirtrary Mind Picks #80

1. Experienced a crazy caffeine buzz yesterday- just when i thought it was psychological and had no effect on me. Benguet coffee is no joke. I felt like doing cartwheels around the apartment! Nuts.

2. I'm wondering if this morning thing gets easier... or if i'm really just nocturnal.

3. I've turned into an iPhone apps junkie.
Just another quirk to add to the list of things-i-never-thought-i'd-become.

4. Will attempt to do yoga while listening to neosoul.

5. Ran into something peculiar on my walk back home today.
My rendition of "The Rose that grew from concrete" with leaves that will amuse any ganja enthusiast.

Make Smart Choices

Choose.

My Hair

I've colored it.
I don't brush it.
I tie it up when i sleep.
I hide it under hats.
I never know what to do with it.
It's not curly and it's not straight- it just can't make up its mind.
Will never have it short again- ever.
I feel like pulling it out sometimes.

I've cut my hair 3 times in the past 3 weeks. It got worse with every attempt. I have succumbed to tying it up again until it grows back to a decent length.

My hair has always played a big role in my transformations.
I find that i have the strongest aching need to change it when i'm going through something. Be it a move to another city, a problem overtaking my subconscious, or unbearable boredom. I have always resorted to taking it out on my mane.

The past few weeks have been no different.
My life is a true testament of the saying- "The grass is always greener on the other side".
Changing the way my hair sat on top of my head or dyeing it a different color had nothing to do with vanity and everything to do with identity. I thought that maybe seeing a different reflection in my mirror would satisfy my need for change. I needed to see someone different staring back at me.
There are so many things that people want to accomplish in a lifetime. Endless hobbies, places to see, and experimenting with different lines of work. I have reinvented myself time and time again and i still have no clue what or who i want to become- or how i want to wear my hair.

At around this same time last year, i had just moved back to my hometown leaving behind a job i loved and friends i have gotten so close to, i consider them family. The life that waited for me here was everything i ever wanted and all that i had asked for within that past year- a quiet life with my son away from all the chaos, appropriate for a happy childhood. I even got my hair done- the most it had ever cost me in the 10 years of living in the city. I dropped the party highlights and the blond streaks for a more subtle, "homey" look. I was ready for the life i had asked for. It was better than i anticipated and nothing short of the epitome of happiness.
Like i said- everything i ever wanted and all that i had asked for.

But that was a year ago. My hair looks like crap now and considering i did whatever i could to salvage the disaster i call a "haircut", i look absolutely mundane. Unless i dye my hair blonde or completely shave it off, this is all the change my mop is gonna get. This is as far as it goes. With that said, i don't think the problem lies on what my do looks like. The problem lies in what it is I decide to do with my life.

All of a sudden, peace and quiet with my son isn't enough. The break i so badly needed has served its purpose and i'm looking for greener grass. I don't think i've ever outgrown a place so fast. No wonder my dad decided to take us away from here when he did. It can only serve your growth for so long.

I will not be touching my far-from-luscious locks any time soon. I will let nature run its course and leave it be.
My life, on the other hand, needs a treatment- stat.

Or maybe just a new hobby.
It's what i get for being so fickle.

No Excuses

I beg you… to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.
-Ranier Maria Rilke - Letters to a young poet

You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life.

— Jay Asher | Thirteen Reasons Why

Welcome to the Baguio City Market.
Believe it or not, i love it there.
You have to see it and be there to understand it.

Lovebirds

Discovery of the day:

Ensaydonut
An ensaymada shaped like a donut.
Brought to you by Mister Donut at 7/11.

Weird.
What's wrong with an ensaymada shaped ensaymada?

My Creative Process

~*~

I walked into my room and it just looked like that all of a sudden.

~**~

Arbitrary Mind Picks #79

1. The power of the mind:
Why is it when you tell yourself not to think of something, it ends up as the only thing you think about?

2. Ghost stories (especially ones that involve familiar places) would be my last choice for evening conversation. It's just not a good idea. Not now nor ever. Never.
My curiosity just gets the better of me.

3. My creative process has taken over my room. Not in a good way.

4. I put on a great show as a morning person. Theater at its best, if i do say so myself.

5. Coffee IS breakfast.

Back In The Day When I Was Young I'm Not A Kid Anymore

Dancing Daze and Orange Nights

Oh. Hell. No.

Out of sheer desperation to entertain myself, the inconceivable has happened- i downloaded a horror/thriller flick and watched it all by myself. My movie of choice- Saw 1-4.
I can stand blood and gore. I've sat through Chainsaw Massacres, Hostels, and Turistas. Horror of the spiritual kind, however, i doubt i'll ever be able to stomach. Exorcism, The Ring, The Shining, Blair Witch, 6th Sense, etc... F*%^ no.
As some would put it- "So... you're actually scared of the things most likely to not happen as opposed to the shit that have gone down in real life?".
Ironic.

I sailed through 4 movies of morbid, bloody, torture. A story of a serial killer, a sick minded psychopath out to teach humankind a lesson in cherishing life. Of course, half the time i was concentrating on something else so i was really only half-paying attention.

My older brother then texts me that there's a serial killer on the loose in my town. He drives a cab. I only take cabs around these here parts. My brother tells me to be careful and my dad tells me i should carry a kitchen knife in my bag (as a joke).

The timing is uncanny.

It's a good excuse to avoid late-night, drunken escapades.

To the most awesomest dad in the whole wide universe and back.
MY Dad.
Happy Birthday!!! May you have 50 more (or so). =p

“Envy is an insult to oneself.”

— Yevgeny Yevtushenko

He makes the most out of being stuck in traffic.
Happy morning! =)

I hate successful, happy people.
lol

Arbitrary Mind Picks #78

1. A cab driver asked me if i was rich today. I replied, "No..." with a laugh.
He said, "Ah, porma mo lang mayaman?". (Oh, you only look like you're rich?)
And then added, "Baka yung hat mo kasi. Kamukha mo si Michael Jackson..." (Maybe it's your hat. You look like Michael Jackson...)
I was wearing a paperboy cap. Weird conversation.

2. I finally saw Iron Man 2. Key word- FINALLY.

3. While waiting for Dylan to get out of class i was sitting at a table outside his classroom with two other parents. We were discussing the number of long weekends we've had in the past month and the next one coming our way. I blurt out, "I think the world would be a happier place if there were only 4 working days and the weekend had 3...".
"Maybe for children... they'd certainly be happier."
Does that mean he disagrees?
We didn't continue that conversation.

4. Dylan had two servings of dinner. His gag reflex kicked in at the last 2 bites and he gave up saying he was full (He does that when he doesn't wanna eat anymore. I don't mess with the gag reflexes). I ate the rest of his food. As i'm cleaning up (a good 2 minutes later), he asks me for a bread roll... and THEN he opens a bag of some kind of bread snack.
I don't know if i was outsmarted or if he was just really really hungry.

5. Keeping house is no joke.
I seem to enjoy this place in a pristine state 10% of the time i'm here. Maybe even less.

6. I must be bored/itching for a change/restless/indecisive.
I cut my hair again.
Let's just say i'll be pinning my hair up for a while.
Yeah, not as successful as the last time i attempted this. *sigh*

7. I succeeded the 1st day of my fruit cleansing diet... until dinner time.
Dieting is useless. I don't even know why i try.

8. I finished Angry Birds.
Now i have to redo the whole thing and make sure nobody can top my high scores.
I seriously need to paint or something... this hobby is getting old.

9. I know i'll never wear some of them again... but i have sentimental tie-ins with some of my clothes and i just don't have the heart to get rid of them.

10. Another sweater shrunk in the dryer. *shaking head*
I'm gonna end up with a pile of unwashed clothes because of this fear developed by trauma.

3 more school days until another long weekend...

Weekend Loving

"Hey mom... it's our favorite day today... SATURDAY!!!!!!"
-Dylan

8 Years

The weather lately has been extremely conducive to sleep. I had a tough time willing myself out of bed today. I act like a morning person solely for my son's benefit.

I make the coffee and i prepare Dylan's breakfast. Okay, fine. I really meant- i put the cereal out.
We get ready for school, i drop him off . I chat with a few parents on my way out. I walk down Brent road. I wait for a cab in traffic-congested Leonard Wood. Fail. I jump on a jeepney. The ride doesn't pass my street so i hop off at the corner and make that long, uphill trudge towards my building. It's pouring cats and dogs, by the way.

I'm back at the apartment, i make more coffee, i go online, check my messages, and go on Facebook (naturally). I greet a dear friend a very happy birthday. I glance up, the right top hand corner of my screen to make sure i greeted him on the right day. It says:
Fri Sep 3 8:36 AM.

"September 3", i think to myself. "September 3... what's with September 3?"

You know those times when you know you're supposed to remember something but it just won't come to you? It's at the tip of your tongue, you're almost there, but you can't quite put a finger on it? That's what it felt like.
(eg. That one actor from that one movie... what's his name?)

This happens in the span of 2.2 seconds.

"Oh shit."
I pause and just sit and just stare and i took a moment and remembered.
For some reason, i don't approach this day with anticipation. This date hardly ever enters my mind, to tell you the truth. Somehow, on the very day itself, it just hits me. There's no count down, i don't expect it, i'm never prepared for it. It just dawns on me all of a sudden.

I don't know why.

What is it with people reliving traumatic experiences? It's not like celebrating a wedding anniversary or your birthday or Christmas. Why do people get hit so hard on the anniversary of something that has left them with scars? Why do we insist on keeping that memory alive? Experience the pain all over again and feel the agony that was once so unbearable... why?

I lost a great friend 8 years ago. It changed me.

I still remember everything so vividly. As if time had not lapsed and i remember it like it was yesterday. From the phone call i put on silent to the dream i had a year later.
Vivid.
My heart racing, the tears i shed, the scream i let out, and the thoughts that filled my head. Clear as day.

I re-read all my past posts on this experience. I, once again, read that article i came across 5 years ago- the one i so unapologetically bashed the same day i discovered it on Google. Each year i read it differently. This time around i read it from a writer's perspective. Strange how time and/or maturity changes certain things.
It seems i have started a tradition of my own.
I can't decide if it's honorable or just sad.

I gave it a good cry. Took some time out of my day to "talk" to him. I can't believe it was so long ago... and time has done its job on healing this wound. I'm guilt-free, but i apologize, nonetheless. No matter what, i just can't get over those damn shoulda-woulda's.

Will i be remembering this day like this for the rest of my life? It seems to be that one day dedicated to reflection. Seeing how far i've come or how much "good" i've lived up to... in a way, making up for the good he missed out on because of my failure to pick up the phone.
A testament of the tragedy on how death strikes the living- appreciating your own due to the loss of someone else's.

I see him everyday when i make that walk out of school. The stroll from Bridgers to the outdoor basketball court. The memory of him racing down that pathway, the excitement in his voice as he yelled at the surprise of my presence, and that giant hug... the biggest anyone has ever given me, by far.

It's been 8 years and i still miss you.

Word.

“(One of) The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters.”

— Sue Monk Kidd

[He chose shoes.
Yeah, yeah. Let me hate.]

Arbitrary Mind Picks #77

1. It doesn't matter how much you love a song- don't ever make it your alarm tone. I guarantee, after a given amount of time, you'll end up hating it.
No more Marley mornings for me.

2. I hate going through my contacts list, running into a name and saying, "Who the f@*% is that?".

3. I wish i had a counter for how many times i've used the phrase "phase of my life".
I've counted 3 on this page alone.

4. For someone i consider to be anything but tech savy... i own a good number of handy electronics. My brand of choice? Mac and Sony.
Interesting.

5. You ever suffer an embarrassing fall, like straight lying on the floor, and then you get up real quick to check if anybody saw? That just happened to me.
As they say in the Philippines, "Sira ang poise".
Good luck translating that into English. Some things are just better said in your native language.

6. My router is preventing me from opening certain web pages. I have parental control on? It's so not celebrity-stalking friendly. What's up with that?

Dancing Daze

Looking back at that phase of my life brings a smile to my face.
Oh, the fun that was had. Priceless.

Dancing, literally, was my life. I was dancing for fun, dancing for improvement, dancing for a future, dancing for exercise, and of course, dancing for work. It took me places, provided me with stability, and in my mind, i was doing what i loved and excelling in life. It was my dream to pursue this for as long as i lived. But life had other plans for me and this dream came to a screeching halt.

Every now and then i'll run into the friends i shared this life with. The people i spent 90% of my time with way back when. To see my peers doing what we set out to do and their team catapulted into national and international stardom gives me a sense of accomplishment. Not of my own, of course, but for the idealism we shared. A part of me envies their path... but i know now, for sure, that dancing was not for me. It was undoubtedly a huge milestone and a necessary path, but not the life i was meant to live. This analogy is a completely different story.

I'm quite certain that everybody says this at one time or another- the way things are right now just isn't what it used to be. Of course, this holds true to everything and anybody. How do we really expect the way of the world to remain at a stand still? That's just ridiculous.
People will always hold the fondest memories of their youth close to heart. It's a rite of passage to dream about reliving it. You'll know you've reached a certain age of maturity when you've accepted that the past is the past and you move forward with your life. It's one thing to revisit memories, it's another to dwell on them.

Today's youth are so caught up with status. People do certain things to gain a certain image.
Walking into a club these days feel so different from when i first started making "attendance". We used to go to clubs for the sole purpose of dancing. These days we go for the sole purpose of drinking. That, and well, we watch our (DJ) friends play. But you look out into the sea of people, these carbon copy clubheads, and you think to yourself, "Are they really having fun?". Everybody is so dressed up. Too dressed to impress that's it's almost impossible to execute a dance move more complex than the two-step or the fist pump. Why is that? And they all look the same... but that, again, is a different story.

Nobody dances anymore. It's a showcase now. You go to shows or you go to a class. Nobody dances at the club... nor is it appreciated. You'll get booted out of there faster than the guy who vomits all over VIP if you start busting the up-rock and open up a circle. Shame, really. Those circles made for dancing were the highlight of clubbing back in the day.

One thing i come to understand after thinking about this for almost 20 minutes now is this-
It's all about the money now. You open a new club, bigger than ever, not to ensure space so that people can enjoy themselves... it's to accommodate more people to buy booze and give you their hard earned pay. Smart.
And for whatever reason, it works. This is not the end of it either. The scene will evolve. People will get older and the younger ones will begin to step in... and they will only get younger.

Oh well. It is what it is.
I guess i should consider myself lucky that i didn't miss out.

"The secret to success (with women)... is you never go for the prettiest one. Start with the ugly one on the left."
-Will Scarlet, Robin Hood

LOL.
The mind of men.