Good Morning

Went to the doctor's today
As I was leaving I
Passed a security guard who
Looked tired but
Still smiled and
Said "Good morning"
I reciprocated this
Happy greeting with
A "Good morning"
In return of his
Then he asked pensively
"Is it still morning?".
A sure sign that
He's been patrolling since well
Before the sun came up

And yet he still smiles and says "Good morning"

Drive

All of us have it. It's called ambition. The call we hear inside to aspire to do and be something greater. The books I have been reading lately (e.g. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, Paulo Coelho novels, and The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch) center around a person's need for accomplishment. And it has got me to thinking.

What do I want to accomplish?
There's no best way to answer this, but I can say some overly general paths I want to walk towards.

I want...
1. to do something that will affect others in a positive way, to give them the drive for life that I feel. This is first and foremost.
2. to be able to say that I feel no hatred towards others. Though I may disagree with people and situations, I want to be in a state where I can at least be understanding. (This is inspired by A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson - which I'm still in the process of reading)
3. to take on tasks I see others take which I at first think is too much work or which intimidate me.
4. to continue to work at things I don't have an innate talent for but still enjoy doing.
5. to be a person that can be counted on.



Note: Many of these were reinforced by itsrichelle.

Scars

Though they have healed
They continue to teach
Feel them
Remember them

To Each His (or Her) Own

"I heard that movie sucked"
"I don't like that song"
"Golf is so boring"

I think we've all heard comments such as these before. Sometimes when we hear these remarks, it might change how we feel about a certain thing. We're all entitled to our own opinions. But I believe it's important for me to not let another person's judgment affect my perception.

A few days ago, my friend Johnny said the first comment to me. He was responding to the fact that I had rented The Bucket List from Netflix. Having not even placed the movie into my DVD player yet, I knew I would already own a bias towards it. And that annoyed me.

I watched the movie the next day. Some people might have disliked it, but I surely didn't. What we enjoy is tied to our past individual experiences. Having spent a considerable amount of time in a hospital (like the main characters of the movie), I was able to make a connection that perhaps many others would not be able to. When you're laying on a hospital bed, much of your thoughts are what you will do if and when you are once again free from the confinements of convalescence. I found that many of the situations presented in the film parallel those which I have gone through.

Note to self: Go into things with an open mind.

Breaking Free

I've tried many times to post something on this here blog, but all the drafts have been left unfinished. Not this one though. I'm determined to complete it and hit publish.

Not everyone knows this because I didn't share it with too many people, but for much of the summer I suffered from a quite painful ailment, which precluded me from doing many things. The pain was excruciating. It would happen four to six times a day and I could do nothing but let out moans and squeeze someone or something with my hand until the pain subsided. Pain was one thing, but the worst of it was the fear of the pain. Living in constant fear of the return of when the pain would return was absolutely debilitating. Many times I would wake up from the pain and scream and clutch something until it went away, then be unable to sleep again. Of all the things I have experienced in my life, those weeks caused me the most fear ever. I stayed in my house for weeks, praying for the pain to never return again.

Spending months at home caused me to do much thinking. Thinking about the past. Thinking about the present. Thinking about the future. When the pain finally looked like it was gone for good, the relief I felt was immeasurable. It was as if I was breaking free from the physical and psychological prison that held me captive for what seemed like an eternity. The ups and downs of the last few years and the last few months have changed me forever. I feel like I once again have a renewed passion for life.

In the spirit of that passion, I've been traveling.

I visited my sister and brother-in-law in Washington. The Great Northwest is definitely a majestic place with trees everywhere. We did the touristy things like visiting the space needle, the first Starbucks, and the Public Market where the fish store workers throw fish. My favorite part though was hiking through the forests. We saw many waterfalls. At one point I said to Ate, "I can't believe that just a month ago I was lying in bed, suffering from the worst pain of my life, and now I'm standing in front of one of the highest waterfalls in the world." I definitely felt free in Washington. I could live there."

I also went to the San Jose area for my roommate Justin's wedding. A lot of fun. Hanging out with my dorm friends is always pretty crazy. They are a hilarious group. It got me truly excited for the three weddings of other friends coming up in the next year. I can't believe how fast life is going now.

After San Jose I went to the Bay Area and spent some time there. Also tons of fun. Thanks to Em, Vaughn, and Camizzle for housing me. A grand tour of Union City. Karaoke night at The Mint. Berkeley roaming. Bear's Lair revisited. All good times.

Planning for future trips is also in the works. Another trip to the Bay for a cousin's wedding. A few snow trips to break in my board and gear. A trip to the Philippines. Hopefully three or four Disneyland visits. And to end, here's the Disney song that inspired the title of this post. I will continue to be inspired, and I hope you will be too.

When the Stars Align

We are all headed on different pathways. Some are working. Some of us are going to school. Some of us us are single. Some of us are in relationships. Some of us are engaged, or are already married. Some of us live with family. Some of us live with friends. Some of us live alone.

Despite our diverging paths, we are sometimes able to reconnect. These are times in which I cherish. I spend many days home alone, with my parents leaving for work before I wake and getting home when my day is winding down. This means that there are days in which I have no human interaction at all. This is why times in which I can reconnect with people I care about are so important. It's a time for me to relax and smile. I dread the time coming to an end, and I look forward to when we can reconnect once more.

I'm lucky that the past few weeks I was able to spend meaningful time with great people, both during my Bay Area visit and here at home. It was the reconnection and release that I needed. I am so thankful for those times. I am more than happy with the my time spent, for the most part.

However, there were a few instances that almost ruined those experiences. Because of residual tension and awkwardness, getting together with different people or groups I wanted to get together with was complicated. It caused some to act stubborn and even childish. This really frustrated me and stressed me out. When the stars align and I can meet up with those I care about, I don't care what I do or where I go, as long as I am able to reconnect with those people. I hope others feel the same about reconnecting.

Please, let's try to leave the past in the past so that we can be a part of each other's future.

Adding on to the Baseball Rant

The Dodgers have lost 4 out of 5 without Manny Ramirez. Their NL West lead has been cut in half. Still think they're gonna last 50 games without him, Steve Philips? Goodness. ESPN should hire me as a baseball analyst.