Stargazer: The Attraction
I guess there is just something that attracts me to writing. Something that keeps me coming back to these keys everyday, hoping to scratch out something from my mind and express it in a way everyone can relate to.
I think there is something so much more beautiful about writing compared to math. If you give 100 people the equation 2+2=, no matter what they all answer, the truth is that it is 4. It is as much 4 today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow. If you hand 100 people a simple sentence such as “Who are you?” You will get 100 completely different answers.
That is the beauty of writing. I love writing about general subjects like the outdoors, the smell of springs as things gain new life, the past that you can never ever forget, the love that will always be a part of you, or the first chill up your spine which indicates winter is rushing in to sweep the sweet colors of fall and make the world as black and white as possible. These subjects can be observed and comprehended by most everyone. However, each individuals probably has their own unique experience they use to relate to the work. Meaning, it is universal and completely unique and personal, all at once.
Making writing the most beautiful way to convey a thought.
I guess it’s sad how life can be just one big pile of regret and wasted opportunities sometimes.
Stargazer: Extrovert vs. Introvert
There is this common misconception about the natural behaviour of extroverts and introverts; extroverts are often times characterized as being lively and talkative, while introverts are naturally quiet and withdrawn.
This isn’t true. It’s correct that when you meet someone shy and quiet they will more likely be and introvert than an extrovert; however, this doesn’t mean that introverts are naturally shy, or that shy people always have to be introverts. On the contrary, introverts can be very talkative and discuss topics that interest them for hours on end.
The actual definition of an Introvert is someone who draws energy from being alone with their thoughts, while Extroverts draw their energy from being with others.
Introverts are people can who draw energy from being alone with their thoughts. They enjoy, and sometimes even need, a deep conversation with people they trust; they often don’t like small talk, or rather often don’t see the point in it. But after a while they will feel the need to be alone again, to recharge and sort out things on their own.
Extroverts on the other hand, are people who draw their energy from being with others. They can enjoy being alone with their ideas and dreams just as an introverts can enjoy being around people, yet after a while they will feel the need to interact with others to fill up their energy.
Thank you for explaining that in the best way possible.
Love
So we went out to The Block (my ninang, uncle, me, and their two little kids) to watch a movie, and we had a hard time finding parking space.
Ninang: Look, there’s one! *points to disabled parking lot*
Uncle: Nice! I almost missed that.
Ninang: Aren’t you glad you married a disabled woman? Convenient parking for you!
*silent pause*
Uncle: Just glad I married you.
And at first I felt really awkward about the whole thing—I felt like it was a private moment that I wasn’t supposed to witness, because they were sharing That Look—you know, the loving and affectionate look you have on your face when you look at the love of your life? Yeah, they were doing THAT.
It’s not the first time they’ve had these moments—what makes it weird is that I’m always, always, ALWAYS there to see it—ever since I was 9 years old. Hugs, kisses, affectionate touches (don’t ask), gifts, sweet conversations similar to the one mentioned above…and when I was 9, I’d secretly gag in the background LOL. But now, I guess being 16 made me look at it differently.
It made me really uncomfortable but as I sat there in the backseat, I was thinking, like, “WHY MUST YOU BOTH BE SO ADORABLE?! YOU ARE KILLING ME OVER HERE.”
I guess what I’m just trying to say is this: Love is a beautiful thing. And although there’s a lot of divorce, hate, and a lot of other things that might make us think that love is overrated, temporary, and fleeting, the thing is that in the little moments in life, there is still plenty of love to go around.
And I guess I’m already in danger because I have a sometimes cynical point of view on romance and love, but whenever I see my uncle and ninang (‘ninang’ is the Filipino word for ‘godmother’ by the way), it gives me a sense of hope.
Love exists. And love is powerful. Love manifests itself in both the small and big moments of life. Cheesy as it sounds, love is a beautiful thing. For if we do not have love, what else would we have?
I look at my uncle and my ninang, and I am reminded of this.
For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
(Source: lovequotesrus)
Day 2 - Utah and Colorado
Alright, it’s 10pm and I am exhausted (again). You’d think it was relaxing, really, to do nothing but ride a bus the whole day (with occasional stopovers). But it’s not. I secretly enjoy these long bus rides, though—the scenery is AMAZING and I just love how my mind wanders while I look out the window and listen to my music (thank you, iPod).
We went to Arches National Park first (the first OFFICIAL sightseeing spot—finally!) and it’s just basically this place in Utah that has a lot of…well, I don’t want to say “rocks” because it wouldn’t give justice to its beauty (but in truth, it IS rocks—sedimentary rocks, to be exact)—anyway, it has a lot of beautiful formations and the view is just absolutely breathtaking. I’ll show you a picture some other time (or really, you can just Google it and see what I’m talking about—and really, it IS beautiful!).
My mother and I did a couple of jump shots and yeah, there was a lot of walking and climbing and picture-taking. The usual. A bunch of other Pinoys were also with us, so it wasn’t lonely at all!
And yeah, basically, that was THE hightlight of the day. The time before and after visiting Arches National Park was just spent in the bus, sleeping, listening to music, and yeah, the stopovers for food, gas, and washroom breaks.
I find that I am actually enjoying myself. When I was on the East Coast tour two years ago, I was 14 years old and my main joy in life at the time was going online and sitting around in my ninang’s house in California. I hated the long drive, the unfamiliarity, the cold weather, and all the pictures and walking. But now…now, I’ve actually learned to embrace it. This is traveling, after all. It’s not fun ALL the time. And the journey is just as interesting as the destination, after all.
Now we are in Colorado. We’re in the city, and the rocks and mountains are long gone. But on this tour, there’s going to be a lot more rocks involved. ROCK OVERLOAD LOL
I’d share some deep insights (most of my disturbing/deep thoughts occur when I get too much time to think aka the long bus ride) but I’m too tired—I wouldn’t give justice to my writing. Another time, maybe!
Tomorrow, I think…sightseeing in the city, and then South Dakota. Which, I must woefully point out, is ANOTHER long drive.
P.S. I swear I’ve listened to The Fray’s “Heartbeat” at LEAST 50 times today in that bus. Yes, I was that bored. I think I listened to all the songs in my iPod today—even the ones from 2007. @___@ I really, really regret not downloading new songs. Right now I really can’t get “Somebody I Used To Know” and “Young Blood” out of my head but it is SO frustrating because I don’t have those songs in my iPod!!
P.P.S. I have a busmate who also brought, like, 3-4 books. He is reading George R.R. Martin. I am tempted to approach him and have a book discussion with this person. I also want to know if the series is good, and if so, what is about and should I read it???
Also: Our tour guide is hilarious. =)) I don’t understand what he’s saying most of the time because he mostly speaks Chinese (I guess that’s the disadvantage of joining a tour group in which majority of the people are Chinese) but he ALWAYS cracks these jokes (slightly corny, but yeah) and then he laughs all by himself after he finishes with the jokes and everybody’s just like… -_- WAT
But I don’t know, I find people like that so funny. =))
End Post.
Day 1 - Utah
I’m currently in Utah at the moment and it is Day 1 of our tour. It was HOT this afternoon—there was nothing but desert for miles—and this place becomes a freezer by nightfall. Unbelievable! I think i remember a logical explanation for this from my Physics class in 4th year, haha! Snow is to be expected tomorrow, so you can imagine how many layers of clothes I’m going to wear.
Currently running on 4 hours of sleep from last night. I am exhausted. Need to be up by 6:30am tomorrow!
Gosh, I miss Los Angeles already.
Off to an adventure!
It’s almost midnight here and I have to be up by 5:30am tomorrow in order to get to…wherever we’re going.
Things have been good here—I’ve been having the best time shopping (but shopping for too long still bores me, honestly), reading books, going out, eating out with the family, cold/hot weather, playing with my little cousins, doing mundane things with my lola/ninangs/uncle/parents/cousins, going out with my uncle and watching movies and basketball games with him (cause we’re kinda tight, so to speak…haha!), taking pictures, meeting new people, learning guitar, making friends with my uncle’s guitar students (TROLOLOL) and just…having fun, I guess. Breathing in their culture, their way of life, and everything. OH, yeah, and Disneyland!
Needless to say, I’m having so much fun here, I don’t even have time to be homesick (because I’m coming home soon, anyway). As much as I love the idea of HOME, I still don’t want to go home next month. I just don’t. I love traveling, and even if I’m not doing anything particularly amazing here, I enjoy the little pleasures I get from traveling and being in a different country. I really, really wish time would just slow down and let me stay here a little bit longer.
We’re going on a 7-day trip starting tomorrow, and we’re hitting all the states/places we haven’t been to yet—Utah, Yellowstone, South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore, Montana, Idaho, Las Vegas…and I can’t remember anymore, but there were more!
We went to the East Coast two years ago, and I only realize NOW how awesome that trip was—New York, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia…man, it was gorgeous there.
But for this tour, I don’t really have much knowledge on its historical/cultural background, but I’m planning on researching on those places if I get the time. Either that, or I’ll just have to listen to what the tourist guide will tell me, and I’ll just appreciate whatever I see in front of me.
I do know Yellowstone has geysers that are apparently really old…or as I like to call it (just to tease my ninangs and my parents), “a bunch of old rocks” HAHAHAHA but kidding aside, I do get its importance. No, really!
Anyway, I’m rambling again…but yeah. I’ve got my clothes packed and everything, my iPod and camera’s all set. I’m ready. I AM THIRSTING FOR KNOWLEDGE AND ADVENTURE.
I am already mentally preparing myself for:
1. Long bus rides (which is why I made EXTRA sure my iPod was charged and I brought 4 books with me, plus my journal and notebook)
2. Chinese people (I bet we’ll be the only Filipinos in that bus…) - The beauty of it is that I can talk in Filipino without anyone understanding me but my parents. The sad thing is, there will be a language barrier between me and these people…and hello, OP feeling!
3. Arguments - “Take the picture again!” “It’s blurry!” “Where’s the charger??” “I told you not to bring a book!” “Let’s eat in THAT restaurant.” “Take my picture, make sure it has good lighting!” “UGH, ugly picture, take it again, please!” —> well, you get the idea, I’m sure.
4. FUN FUN FUN FUN
AHHH I’M SO EXCITED!! :D I am SO READY to soak up all that history, culture and adventure.
I’m not really looking forward to the snow in Yellowstone, though. I will surely freeze my head off. Snow looks more fun on TV, honestly. In real life, it’s just, like..”I want to get inside! I need the heater!”
I want to keep writing but I’ll leave it at that. I’ll be back in Los Angeles in about 7 days, so it’s not goodbye..yet.
Till next time!
P.S. I’m just really glad our mode of travel is the bus, and not an airplane. There is just something about being in an airplane for too long that makes me feel sick. Not to mention, it gets pretty boring after a while. Meanwhile, the bus has a window, wherein I can look out and enjoy the scenery while writing/reading/listening to music.
— Ella Wheeler Wilcox
I’m the kind of person who likes to be by himself. To put a finer point on it, I’m the type of person who doesn’t find it painful to be alone. I find spending an hour or two every day running alone, not speaking to anyone, as well as four or five hours alone at my desk, to be neither difficult nor boring. I’ve had this tendency ever since I was young, when, given a choice, I much preferred reading books on my own or concentrating on listening to music over being with someone else. I could always think of things to do by myself.
(Source: goodreads.com)
