Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Morning Questions

It's never easy, is it? There will always be a factor that complicates things up to another level. It can never be simple, no matter how stubbornly I want it to be simple. I'd have to admit, it has a lot to do with my age, more so to the considerations, priorities and reservations of it rather than physical age.
Some friends say I think too much... but well, I can't help it. That's why I spend a lot of time with my friends, to stop me from thinking too much.
If you know something's doomed to fail, well, at least, you're pretty sure it is, would you do it anyway, if it made you happy, just for a bit? Would the memory be more hurtful rather than not having a memory at all? We never really know the answer to this, as the circumstances bringing us to this dillema are never the same, what we want, think and need are never the same, and what might happen is never the same either. The dillema, the ultimately unanswerable dillema, remains the same. I must have a knack of creating dillemas out of thin air. Dillema, anyone? I sell them wholesale.
This is a test for me; I don't want to be afraid of stepping ahead anymore. I mean, who can tell, there could be some benefit to it, right? (Despite advice to the contrary...)

I'm taking off to Kuala Lumpur this afternoon. It's for work, but hopefully there are other benefits as well...

Monday, April 25, 2005

Million Dollar Baby


An absolutely astounding movie. Absolutely astounding. A tale of a female boxer, and her trainer, but not quite what you'd expect from a boxing movie per se. There are fights, all right, but the fights all occur more inside the heart rather than the boxing ring. There are bits of the story, in hindsight, seemed unnecessary, and gave the impression that it was intentionally inserted to add to the 'heart' factor of the story; but even this does not diminish the experience we get from watching the movie, and the sad little subplot given eventually earns an integral position within the story.
I cheered, I broke my heart, I laughed, I cried, when watching the movie, even getting confused at some points. It takes you through the very human struggles of essentially non-persons in a Hollywood world of superheroes, tricked-up cars and spacecraft, and we cheer their very human triumphs and sympathise their very human failures.
The movie had personal impact also on me, as it is essentially a tale of love between the boxer and her trainer. All the elements are there; the arguments, the devotion, the dedication, the small loving gestures, the compromises, and the visions together. It's not a love story as Hollywood would generally portray it, but it is a love story nevertheless. A love, not quite platonic, not the least bit sexually charged, but a strong and binding love all the same. The love you feel for those people who you would like to think are family but actually aren't, the love for the friend who rain or shine has always just been there, and, perhaps unique to my case, the simply unconditional love you feel to those close to you; and often misunderstood, even by myself.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

An [Open] Letter Of Goodbye

Hi.

How are you? Hope you're doing okay. Really. I never could gather any conclusions from our brief SMSs here and there, which always ended with a bit of anger, on my side at least. I do not know if you're fine, but I genuinely hope you are.
How was the trip out of town the other day, good? Hope you got some stuff out of your system; if I know you, and I think I do, you'll bounce back easily any time. I bet you already have a couple of things going on, and on the verge of moving to a new place. You'll always have your friends, and certainly an assortment of men who adore you, for your comfort, joy, and happiness. You will always have that unbreakable self-confidence, and that ultimately charming smile.
With you, it was never about recovery, bouncing back and all. It's about the wounds inside. If somebody does you harm, you never forgive them. Well... I can't say I really forgive anyone, but I'd like to think that when I finally understand the big picture, usually I can let it go and let life go on. Life is too short; and although my heart is big enough to love the world (or so I'd like to think), it's too small to hold in hatred or longing of revenge, to anybody.
I cannot say that we have been friends (or maybe had been, would be more appropriate to your perspective) for a long time; around 6 months to be exact. In those 6 months, we have been with each other almost every day, from just eating out at lunch, to sneaking out to watch a movie when work got boring, looking (and daydreaming) at electronics and other sorts of stuff, and dinner at insignificant places. I was always suprised at how somebody who claims to be as sophisticated as you are, never minded going to the places I went, and never was very fussy (when you can be very fussy). You loved talking about your thoughts, your dreams, to the point that I thought you were a pompous ass, but then again, I adored you for it. You always had these dreams on making it big and how to do it, and I never had the heart to shoot down those ideas, although that's what I usually do. When you talked about your dreams, your eyes lighted up with more life and passion, and I adored that too.
You never really talked about work, you just talked more of the people who you worked with. Alhthough I saw some fault in how you sometimes handled situations (and the people involved), I never had the heart to say something, because I figured you knew better anyway, and who am I to give you advice? You were otherwise pretty secretive about your work, even scolding me when I let it slip to another friend of yours on where you worked. So I never knew what was going on, and I didn't think it was my business either, when you didn't talk about it to me. In hindsight, perhaps I should have made it my business, and you'd still be here.
You always talked about all these men you dated, a guy from here, or there, or wherever... and at one part, I never knew why you consistenly shared all this with me, on the other hand, I always knew it was just part of your daily game of flirting. You big flirt. And yes, I adored that too... I had always wondered on when the game would stop and you'd just be yourself with me; sometimes you were, but at other points, the game was on again, and I don't like to lose. Believe me, I knew all the moves, and I laughed inside when you still made them. I even adored that. It went to show that the game was more important to you than any actual progress on any front.
To a point, you could become unconciously childish, and bottom line, I guess that was the paradox that I adored most, you being the outwardly mature person you are.
Since I more or less understood you, I adored you, but maybe not enough, since I did not care to point out what I thought was wrong in your ways (although on some points I did, out of utter frustration of your consistent game-playing). I never liked on how you treated some people, and your absolute refusal to withdraw to a more accomodative stance (but I do remember one instance, where if I may pride myself, I finally was able to formulate the right words to give input without breaking your ever-high pride). I never liked on how you sometimes treated me, but since I knew why you did it, I forgave you, and adored you still. Deep down inside, I wanted to be patient enough for you to see with your own eyes, the error of your perspectives; well, at least how I see them wrong... that's why it was important for you to find out and see for yourself, and not having me tell you everything. You never ever listened to me, did you? And I even adored that, and I knew in the end you would listen to me anyway, only depended on when you finally did.
I am not suprised that instead of asking yourself some hard questions, you channeled (and still channel) your anger and frustration to me, and to other people. Well, I could tell you whatever I could figure out from the aftermath, but then again, that all could be just assumptions; only you yourself eventually should know what went wrong. I could spend days arguing with you what I thought went wrong, I can picture it now; you'd always be on the defensive, and I'd spend my time repeating and rewording my thoughts and explanations. It would be worth it, but only if you hear me out. Sometimes you just have to stop being angry, stop arguing, listen, and then think it over. You have not given me that chance, and I don't think you ever will. As time goes by, you'd pretend it didn't happen on the surface, but remember in intricate detail of everything that occured.
I worry about you, you know. There was always that feeling that you were hiding something from me, but I could always smell people burying problems a mile away. You never shared, and I understood, you didn't have to. Didn't make me stop worrying about you. Now after all that has happened, I worry about you more.
Let's get one thing straight: of course, as a warm-blooded man, I had an occasional attraction to you, as you are very attractive; but I never thought of it further than that. The fact that I didn't think you were ready for a real relationship made our connection more to friends, best friends perhaps. In my book, maybe not exactly best friends, as although I knew how you were, I didn't know why you were; I hardly knew your history, your pain, your joy. I only knew that you needed to be loved, cared for, and I willingly gave what I have with patience, hoping it would help. I'm not so sure it did.
I'm not so sure I had an effect on anything, since in your mind, I know that you think of me as just one of those men who had a crush on you and turned around to hurt you. Well, you can forget about the crush, and you can forget about the hurting part, too. I know, inevitably, that my non-action contributed to your hurt, but in all plausible scenarios, there was nothing I could do. It pains me to think that you hate me, if I can use the extremities of the word 'hate' to describe what you feel, but there's no other way, either...
Although I still miss you terribly, and I worry about you, I see no point in continuing to do so, as you do not appreciate me, appreciate what we have been through, and appreciate what I did for you. Before you do, I cannot call you friend anymore. Although it pains me to do so, I am writing this to say goodbye. Goodbye. If we meet again, hopefully everything will be in a better situation, but until then, I vow to stop missing and worrying about you.
Please remember to take care in what you do, and to treat people with love and appreciation. I don't guarantee that people will love and appreciate you back, but at least the effort would make it worthwhile anyway.
May you find the way that's best for you.

Goodbye.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Ouch... Ouch... Ouch

Yesterday morning I went to the gym with Alfa, after having Jacky and Yadi stay over at my place (more of that later). We met up there at 9 AM, and started the routines; treadmill, stationary bike, and that cardio-whatever thing, Natural Runner or something... then I stupidly did some unsupervised sit-ups. I did them on one of those slanted platforms; and did them from the slanted position and pulled myself upright 15 times. It didn't feel right, and now my entire abdomen is in pain in testament of that mistake. Ouch... ouch... ouch...
I had a healthy (!) salad lunch with Alfa later, then hooked up with a couple of other friends for some pool... Ok, I think I can safely say I'm getting better, since I won almost all the games. I can expand my game to start thinking about strategy, and not worry too much about getting the ball in the first time. He he.
Yadi and Jacky were staying over because we want to participate in a TV design competition, so we were up the night before talking concepts, drawing and sketching stuff. We're pretty excited with our concept; but now I think we'll have to be realistic about the time we have left to do the actual work, as the deadline is on May 1st, and I have to be out of town for half the week. Things would be better if I could install Mechanical Desktop on my laptop, but I tried several times yesterday, I couldn't. Perhaps it's a version incompatibility thing; who knows. I'll try again later lah... In the meantime, I still haven't prepared for the trip to KL... but I'll get around to it.
Tomorrow morning, I want to try going to the gym in the morning (as opposed to after work), which would probably be more refreshing. Well.. depends on how much sleep I get the night before, I guess.
Sometimes I'm suprised on how little time I have to do a lot of stuff, when at other times I have so much time on my hands, I'm bored to death. I guess, it is a general dillema.
OK, time to start thinking my strategy. What strategy, you may ask? The days will tell their tales when they come. :D

Friday, April 22, 2005

Just A Little Bit

The war, as usual, is more within than without. I have to... stop thinking too much and go with my gut. At least, while I still have a gut, I plan to get rid of it, well part of it. I need to lose some of this weight. I still do not know what to make of the past few days since my last post... so I won't write about them.
Just wanna keep this smile on my face, with or without reason.
Boyz II Men is still on. I can't wait!
I better prepare the stuff for the trip next week...

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Smiling

Perhaps, to some extent, I feel happy. Happy with apprehension, but still happy. I am not sure what will happen the next couple of days, but, I'd rather keep my hopes up to keep my total energy level up. So rather than thinking too much, I'm just savoring the moments that go by. Planning is for work, for money flow, for trips out of town; but this, I don't think you can plan it, at least not now. At least, I have something to smile about.
So it's smiles all around nowadays. I've been doing something for the past week that was very entertaining, and maybe had some deeper meaning for me; but I'm not getting into that. I don't want to think. All I'm thinking is that it just has to go on, or else the moment will just disappear, and never surface again. So... I'm also hanging on to it, and smiling about it along the way.
I have a mild temprature, and a headache to boot, so work will be slow today (although there is much that I have to do). I have to plan another overseas trip at the end of the month, so I can come back in time for the Boyz II Men concert on May 2nd! Finally, I'll be able to watch them live, after a cancelled show last year. Hopefully, I'll be able to watch it with a certain someone. :)
That would give me something more to smile about.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Don't Know What Else To Say

I'm not sure what to tell of the past few days... but I'll share with you this song, which I have been listening to constantly for the past few months.

Still Fighting It - Ben Folds Five

Good morning, son.
I am a bird
Wearing a brown polyester shirt
You want a coke?
Maybe some fries?
The roast beef combo’s only $9.95
It’s okay, you don’t have to pay
I’ve got all the change

Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
It’s so weird to be back here
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We’re still fighting it, we’re still fighting it
And you’re so much like me
I’m sorry

Good morning, son
In twenty years from now
Maybe we’ll both sit down and have a few beers
And I can tell you ‘bout today
And how I picked you up and everything changed
It was pain
Sunny days and rain
I knew you’d feel the same things

Everybody knows
It sucks to grow up
And everybody does
It’s so weird to be back here.
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We’re still fighting it, we’re still fighting it
You’ll try and try and one day you’ll fly
Away from me

Good morning, son
I am a bird

It was pain
Sunny days and rain
I knew you’d feel the same things

Everybody knows
Tt hurts to grow up
And everybody does
It’s so weird to be back here.
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We’re still fighting it, we’re still fighting it
Oh, we’re still fighting it, we’re still fighting it

And you’re so much like me
I’m sorry

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Sideways


Sideways. One of those "Oscar" movies, or so I thought; you know, one of those movies they specifically make for an Academy Award bid. Who knows the true intentions of the directors, producers or the movie studio who made this film, the movie will stay in my head as a movie that makes you believe that the characters are absolutely real, with real problems, real mistakes, and real soul.
It tells the tale of two best friends, Jack and Miles, as they go on a weeklong trip in wine country before Jack's marriage. Alcohol mixes with lust, loneliness, depression, spontenaity, and bad thinking, and everything happens. You kind of already know what's going to happen next, but you never really think about it, as the movie, more than just trying to tell a story, tries to share with you the assortment of characters, their life, their drama, their ideals, and their frustrations. The story moves along while, essentially, you feel Jack's boyishness, you feel Miles' depression, and you can even taste the wine they are tasting as they tour wine country tasting wine from various wineries. The movie has its own life, as wine does, as implied in the movie by one of the characters, as minute by minute it evolves on the screen and in your head at the same time. People will find that why they liked the movie, why it was important (or not) to them, will change to here and there, and find more personal undertones within the movie itself. The movie felt important to me - as the movie tells mainly of Miles' depression, at least from my perspective - as a reminder of many things, as a moment to laugh at yourself for your own stupidity, as something to make you feel that it's OK to be human.

Settling Some Old Debts

In the moments of silence, at the moments when the universe is seemingly giving you a break from the turbulent reality of the world, you are left with yourself and usually, one strikingly loud voice from within springs clear and emenantes the sometimes-hidden aspiration of your true self. Only then, what is usually clouded, reaches absolute clarity, and you realize the importance. The importance. The one thing that will affect everything else, the one thing that will always be there and held dear, whatever happens. Then, all you have to do is figure out how to retain what is important to you continually in your life.

Saturday, April 9, 2005

The Weekend So Far...

It's Sunday morning, but I've had a great weekend so far. Weekends are supposed to be entertaining, refreshing, and relaxing, to get out all those loose ends off from a week of strenuous work, and recharge for the week ahead. So, I guess the weekend so far has fulfilled its purpose, of course with its own set of happy moments and dissapointments.
After work on Friday, me, Nelly and 2 of our friends headed to Pro Steak at Radio Dalam for a steak dinner (obviously). The steaks were great, and the price was comfortable, too; so I might be going there again some time. After that I accompanied Nelly to her next appointment venue, then went home, where Yadi was already relaxing with a book. The option was either to go to Embassy, where there was a Ja Rule Pre-Event party going on, and going to NewsCafe to watch 2nd Born, a local band, perform with a couple of other friends. We decided to go to Embassy, but apparetnly I wasn't on the promised guest list; so we went to NewsCafe at Kemang to join the others. After, I had a meal with Yadi and Vira before finally reaching home at 4 am (when I had promised both Sacha and Alfa that I would wake them up at 7 am). Well, I did, and I went back to sleep again. Only at about 9 I got up, as at around 11 I was going to hook up with Alfa to check out a fitness centre close to my office, but before that, we met up with Vira and Tanti for brunch.
The fitness centre looked ok, and was in relatively close proximity to my office, so I commited myself to joining it (and try to lose some weight) as long as either Tanti or Alfa accompanied me. Since it's not exactly my favorite activity, I have to have someone along to accompany me. Anyway, the plan for later that night was going to a wedding with Nelly and a couple of other friends, but that plan blew, and I just went out playing pool with Nelly and Alfa. Both of them still couldn't hold a cue stick properly, but it was fun anyway; at least I won every game. Fat chance of that happening if I played pool against Oettie, my usual pool friend (who has 10 years advantage on me on about everything, I might add).
Today, the plan was to meet up with Pitty and her boyfriend for another round of pool... but we'll just have to see how the day goes, won't we?

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

Irreversible

The never quiet night descends on the city, enfolding what was once covered by light of the sun, into darkness, except those spots, counted in the billions, where a piece of wire inside a glass encasing aspires to replace the daylight. Below them, people all around the city try to grab an extra portion of life, extending their activities from what could have been done only in light. Cheating the destiny of darkness with personal illumination, people continue their efforts to complete their never-complete lives.
Thus entire constructs were brought up to contain many people to deny the night, to deny the darkness, and continue aspiring. From entire buildings to single points of candlelight, the once 12-hour monopoly on man's work has been expanded to virtually double, to the ever-increasing demand for the improvement of man. Either we fully acknowledge the entrance of the night and the process towards a new day, or we lie to ourselves and reject the idea that the day can end, that the day will be replaced with another day, tomorrow. The terms "yesterday", "today", and "tomorrow" are conjectures of points in time that are either in our head, in the self-regulating spatia of our brain, or actual definitions defined by the mathematics of the globe's rotation. Either way, days go on for longer compared to the past, work goes on for longer, life goes on for longer, and daily revelations, lies, denials, rejections, triumphs are stretched into more moments and giving space for more.

As the universe is limited, so is the day, and so are the hours of life. At one point, the universe will stop expanding; the day will turnover to another... and thus also the hours of life. Everything is finite. So things have to stop and change to others, sooner or later...

Change your life.

Sunday, April 3, 2005

Appreciation

It seems that I have always had this spirit around me to 'start things anew' these days, but I never seem to know how to start it off. Self-evaluation was never one of my strong points (when self-inflicted blame is). Sometimes - more often then not - I need the help of my friends to see not just the bad sides of me, but also the better side of me as well.
I have to be grateful for the presence of a friend, who I will not name here, that always finds time in-between her time-demanding job to listen, to care, and if nothing else, accompany me while a double-scoop bowl of chocolate ice cream tries to console me. Nobody can give me answers, but you gave me the right, hard questions that I must contemplate on (other than the fact that you think I think too much). I don't think I was ever satisfied just accepting some sort of solution or answer, especially when I can explore it in depth and see if it's the right solution or not; but helping to identify the problems and sort out the right questions to face first hand, evidently is more important and exceedingly beneficial in the long run.
I've always been one to question myself, but when I run out of questions in my own confusion, and my instinctive drive to give solutions or summaries to everything, a little help is greatly appreciated. So... here's to you! Cheers!
The road will be rough, confusing and definitely painful, but with friends like you, the journey will be much, much more bearable.

Friday, April 1, 2005

Is It Too Soon To Ask?

[I had written a few paragraphs earlier, but somehow I lost it... so this post will a bit different that initially intended.]

6 months ago, I made a fateful decision that changed my life. Yeah, it's already been 6 months, and that's how old this blog is as well. By most views, the decision I made was very sudden, and very instinctive, as opposed to my usual rational self. 6 months later, when I have finally learned more about myself, I am also finally understanding on why I made the decision, and why it was for the best. It's not that it didn't have repercussions or consequences, which I am still adjusting to, but in hindsight, it still seems like the right decision. Nobody saw it coming, as nobody understood the problem, nor my solution for it.
Now, getting on with life, it seems I always find myself in the same situation. Always the same result, always the same process, and always leaving me like I am right now. Frustratingly, it seems that I'm not learning from my mistakes, although my apparent efforts to fix everything, although I've been down that road before several times. It never gets any easier, and I never get used to the journey, although I ultimately know where the road will end anyway. Back to square one and none the better.
As I have been constantly reminding myself lately, I have to be grateful for what I have. As grateful as I can be, there is still something big missing within me that needs to be replenished. And that has more importance than everything else.
So, although I'm doomed to fail yet again, I still have to go through the process again...