..you realize that life goes fast,
its hard to make the good things last..
you realize the sun don't go down,
it's just an illusion of the world spinning round..
- the flaming lips - do you realize??
beautiful lyrics :)
2.11.11
27.9.11
lady on the piano
i woke up pretty late today. getting out of bed has been rather difficult lately. i have accepted that it's just something that i go through regularly every couple of weeks. i could wake up perfectly fine for a few days straight and suddenly it becomes darned difficult. i think i've grown accustomed to it and come to think of it, i don't actually mind it.
i proceeded to take a shower and start my day. i've sort of established a route from home to city whereby i stop one station just before the main street in the city and walk across the bridge at yarra river. it's a very beautiful sight crossing the bridge no matter how the weather is and i find it rejuvenating. the next question after crossing the bridge is usually where should i get my coffee today. for me, that's one of the best questions ever and one i wouldn't mind answering any day.
i don't have classes today but i made it a point to just go out and get something done. so i went to the city library, took a seat, took out my laptop and started doing stuff. checked mails, social networks, chat .. the stuff people associate with using the internet nowadays. it's actually scary how attached we are to these online stuff considering how it keeps us on a permanent state of anxiety. plus it's ever growing and it just keeps getting bigger. it's also a habitual thing and you know just how hard it is to control habits.
anyways, after a while i took off my earphones because it's getting uncomfortable and that's when i heard someone playing the piano across the hall. it sounded impressive and got to my attention. i figured i'd go take a break, get a cup of coffee and on the way out stop by and check out who's playing. i packed my bags and took off, at the same time hoping no one takes my seat while i'm gone.
as i peeked behind the piano to see who's playing, i was pleasantly surprised to see an old lady dressed in haggard clothes passionately pressing and moving her fingers across the keys. there were already a few people watching. she placed her cart laden with white plastic bags filled with all sorts of stuff beside her while she played. by the looks of it, she might be a homeless person. at the time, all that didn't matter because the music she played and the sight of watching her play has already filled the moment and left no room for anything else to come through. she played really beautifully and her hands moved gracefully as if it never aged. she gave a bright smile after finishing a song and everyone clapped. after a couple of songs she thanked everyone and left. by that time, the number of people watching had quadrupled. i remember her saying, 'i felt like playing, thank you'.
i went downstairs and i saw her sitting on one of the benches and to my surprise, she was sleeping. it didn't look comfortable, but i really hope she had a good rest.
after all, she probably just felt like sleeping.
i proceeded to take a shower and start my day. i've sort of established a route from home to city whereby i stop one station just before the main street in the city and walk across the bridge at yarra river. it's a very beautiful sight crossing the bridge no matter how the weather is and i find it rejuvenating. the next question after crossing the bridge is usually where should i get my coffee today. for me, that's one of the best questions ever and one i wouldn't mind answering any day.
i don't have classes today but i made it a point to just go out and get something done. so i went to the city library, took a seat, took out my laptop and started doing stuff. checked mails, social networks, chat .. the stuff people associate with using the internet nowadays. it's actually scary how attached we are to these online stuff considering how it keeps us on a permanent state of anxiety. plus it's ever growing and it just keeps getting bigger. it's also a habitual thing and you know just how hard it is to control habits.
anyways, after a while i took off my earphones because it's getting uncomfortable and that's when i heard someone playing the piano across the hall. it sounded impressive and got to my attention. i figured i'd go take a break, get a cup of coffee and on the way out stop by and check out who's playing. i packed my bags and took off, at the same time hoping no one takes my seat while i'm gone.
as i peeked behind the piano to see who's playing, i was pleasantly surprised to see an old lady dressed in haggard clothes passionately pressing and moving her fingers across the keys. there were already a few people watching. she placed her cart laden with white plastic bags filled with all sorts of stuff beside her while she played. by the looks of it, she might be a homeless person. at the time, all that didn't matter because the music she played and the sight of watching her play has already filled the moment and left no room for anything else to come through. she played really beautifully and her hands moved gracefully as if it never aged. she gave a bright smile after finishing a song and everyone clapped. after a couple of songs she thanked everyone and left. by that time, the number of people watching had quadrupled. i remember her saying, 'i felt like playing, thank you'.
i went downstairs and i saw her sitting on one of the benches and to my surprise, she was sleeping. it didn't look comfortable, but i really hope she had a good rest.
after all, she probably just felt like sleeping.
9.8.11
little bits
0. working seems to take my mind off things. now that i'm not working, it's easier for my mind to wander off. hence why i'm writing this post.
1. politics is very ugly. the whole mechanism, at least in this country, seems to revolve around taking swipes and chances over other people's mistakes to leverage themselves. most of the leaders are opportunistic, which i find disturbing. i don't think being opportunistic paves the way for better governance or a better nation.
2. i need to start taking good care of my health and body. that means keeping an eye on my nutrition/diet and making the effort to exercise regularly. i think our generation age much faster than our parents, no thanks to the kind of food served today, especially fast food and processed food.
3. i've slowly stopped buying stuff i don't need and it feels good. that includes clothes/electronics/gadgets/toys etc. it's better to have a bit of extra money and have the peace of mind. on a side note, i hope i don't fall into the stingy category.
4. i don't know if this is possible to achieve considering the world we live in today, but i've made it a life goal to free myself from debts and to avoid anything that creates it e.g credit cards. if anyone were to ask me what's my plan/goal/ambition, my answer would be just that.
5. thanks to a friend, i've realized that consistent mental stimulation is something i need to motivate myself to keep moving forward. making coffees has proven to be a good method of supplying it. now that i've become a student again, i need to start searching for points of interest in my studies and keep digging.
6. there is a lot of uncertainty these days in the world and as a person living in it. being in the mid-20s, people tend to ask you what's your plan, goal and stuff. honestly, i really don't have much in mind yet, other than saving up as much as i can and keep making good progress at whatever i do. it's not that i'm not ambitious, i just think it's more important to keep it simple, be honest, progress and improve your character. after all, it's rather shallow to define "success" this early in life. goals are good, but if anything experience has taught me, god and nature always have better plans for us.
1. politics is very ugly. the whole mechanism, at least in this country, seems to revolve around taking swipes and chances over other people's mistakes to leverage themselves. most of the leaders are opportunistic, which i find disturbing. i don't think being opportunistic paves the way for better governance or a better nation.
2. i need to start taking good care of my health and body. that means keeping an eye on my nutrition/diet and making the effort to exercise regularly. i think our generation age much faster than our parents, no thanks to the kind of food served today, especially fast food and processed food.
3. i've slowly stopped buying stuff i don't need and it feels good. that includes clothes/electronics/gadgets/toys etc. it's better to have a bit of extra money and have the peace of mind. on a side note, i hope i don't fall into the stingy category.
4. i don't know if this is possible to achieve considering the world we live in today, but i've made it a life goal to free myself from debts and to avoid anything that creates it e.g credit cards. if anyone were to ask me what's my plan/goal/ambition, my answer would be just that.
5. thanks to a friend, i've realized that consistent mental stimulation is something i need to motivate myself to keep moving forward. making coffees has proven to be a good method of supplying it. now that i've become a student again, i need to start searching for points of interest in my studies and keep digging.
6. there is a lot of uncertainty these days in the world and as a person living in it. being in the mid-20s, people tend to ask you what's your plan, goal and stuff. honestly, i really don't have much in mind yet, other than saving up as much as i can and keep making good progress at whatever i do. it's not that i'm not ambitious, i just think it's more important to keep it simple, be honest, progress and improve your character. after all, it's rather shallow to define "success" this early in life. goals are good, but if anything experience has taught me, god and nature always have better plans for us.
11.6.11
13.5.11
6.5.11
28/7 - 4/8
http://splendourinthegrass.com/home.html
tickets are booked, the dream is on! the next 3 months is gonna be really interesting ... gotta make this one happen!
7.4.11
some thoughts
1. since i started working i realize that staying positive is a skill in itself. i suppose this applies to all kinds of professions too, each one in their own circumstances. having said that, it's an ability that can be worked on and there are definitely ways to improve it.
2. creativity is something that needs to be exercised regularly, otherwise it becomes weak and complacent. very much like muscles and body fitness.
3. new music is very refreshing to the mind. i was at one point being too comfortable with my music collection and stopped looking for new songs to listen too. now i realize how much brighter life can be when you start spiraling outwards again. in this case, giving my brain and ears some new materials to listen to.
4. i was guilty of missing a lot of friday prayers recently. i finally attended one last week, and what a good familiar feeling it was. i almost forgot how humbling it is to be in commune and putting everything else behind to worship god. for a moment, there seems to be nothing else that mattered other than cherishing the opportunity to live.
5. looking at the good qualities of people around you is a great way to learn and improve yourself. the only requirement is to put your ego aside and compare the way they see things with yours. that can be hard actually, but i think it works quite well.
6. freelancing can be liberating, especially with time. but being your own boss isn't actually a walk in the park. there are days when i can't live with myself, mostly because of guilt trips over work delays, time management and such. breaking your own promises can be very stressful.
2. creativity is something that needs to be exercised regularly, otherwise it becomes weak and complacent. very much like muscles and body fitness.
3. new music is very refreshing to the mind. i was at one point being too comfortable with my music collection and stopped looking for new songs to listen too. now i realize how much brighter life can be when you start spiraling outwards again. in this case, giving my brain and ears some new materials to listen to.
4. i was guilty of missing a lot of friday prayers recently. i finally attended one last week, and what a good familiar feeling it was. i almost forgot how humbling it is to be in commune and putting everything else behind to worship god. for a moment, there seems to be nothing else that mattered other than cherishing the opportunity to live.
5. looking at the good qualities of people around you is a great way to learn and improve yourself. the only requirement is to put your ego aside and compare the way they see things with yours. that can be hard actually, but i think it works quite well.
6. freelancing can be liberating, especially with time. but being your own boss isn't actually a walk in the park. there are days when i can't live with myself, mostly because of guilt trips over work delays, time management and such. breaking your own promises can be very stressful.
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