hanging on the wall, noting some leaves of mark
with eyes invisible, staring glances unblock
fixing a stare, making some honey whispers
hissing earnest talk, time is on your fingers
spinning 'round in circles, running 'round the moon
in numbered silent moment, memories shift too soon
retreating a minute's fate, releasing a destiny
dreaming a future's goal, isn't a chance for eternity
grind some grains while they're on your hands
the clock is ticking, the late hour reprimands
the seconds will be late, to catch up the luck
seize the moment, the truth is on the clock...
-o0o-
“When the young baby begins to use his eyes in an inquisitive manner to inspect his surroundings, he shows that his mind is at work. He hungers for visual experience and in the process of growth makes new demands upon his capacities to see. He must perceptually differentiate his own hands from the hands of his caretaker. If his inheritance is normal, he exercises his capacities at the appropriate level of maturity. If poorly endowed or his neuro-motor equipment has been damaged , he may not display adequate adaptive behavior, even in the most elementary use of his eyes and hands. ”
Oh, Baby, please open your eyes
discover the wide world
playground of mind and motion
let your mind think
lead your vision and grow your mentality
let your eyes get hold of the physical world
hold anything with your hands
bring eyes and hands in coordination
reach anything in sight, seize and exploit it
mouth it, bang it, rub it, whatever is your maneuver
smoke billows into the dark heaven
treating the silence so serene unbroken
stretching its line without a twisted bend
no wind to disturb its wealthy ascent
standing proudly like a gallant post
knows not its soul how to ebb its growth
burning life to liberty has time awakened
giving light to darkness its wick been inflamed
shimmering menial flame defiantly glow
closing its curtains of elongated shadow
blowing off its life just a little halfway
a second life to wait to be lit at any day...
To some, a travel is worth a pocketful of money. Yes, it is. You have to dig deep in your pouch. You have to break piggy banks. But it’s really worth the travel, I swear. It will lift your spirit. Through traveling, other people have revealed themselves, learned and unearthed other undiscovered traits and virtues in them.
Sometimes, through reading, people collects quotes and quotations to highlight their trip for their own personal achievement and satisfaction. Quotes can inspire and motivate them to start off an adventure. It can influence their desire to travel, alone or with friends and family.
When I took my first trip to an island in my country, I was uneasy when I laid down the prefabrication of my plan. Calls were unlimited. Gathering infos from the internet was tiring. Meals were sometimes altered and adjusted. I was scared. I was excited. I needed to arm myself with the right clues and tips, instructions and an earful of advices. The things to be done, to stray around, wander the streets, and getting lost in a fantastic landscape were taken.
I came across a line from a classmate’s notebook during my college days and it got stuck in my brain. This is really a funny quote.
“I want to travel alone because I don’t want to share my budget.” — anonymous
This gave me a wide grin. But true enough. Sometimes friends can be generous and sometimes can be mean and uncharitable all the time. Another one, this time from my Chemistry notebook, revoltingly written across the page.
“If you know how to read, you won’t get lost.”
—anonymous
I think this is true. To be a lost soul in a far-off place wandering which place to go could be a taxing experience. Reading roadside signboards and billboards will point where you are. In the process, if it will give you some stiff neck afterwards in searching and viewing each and every billboard that you pass by, I think, it’s better to get a tour guide and reward him generously with cash and in kind. Provincial folks needed that badly. For sure!
Graduating from college was the last step for me to be independent, not financially, not yet, but in decision making. I need to make decisions of my own with my parent’s guidance.
When I moved to a bigger city, I touched freedom. But the chance of doing things on my own was tight.
There are quotes that I kept to myself intact that, whenever I felt the doubts in me I just read them silently. And Yes, it kept me warm inside and it shunned cold sweat and jitters that put the cap in blowing the lid off to start the trip on my own. It gave me courage. They are my ally, my defender and my endorser. Here are my threes. Eleanor Roosevelt, my ally. Mark Twain, my defender. And the man that endorsed my solo travel, Nelson Mandela.
“You must do the things you think you cannot do.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
—- Mark Twain
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
— Nelson Mandela
These three quotes kept me going. It kept me alive thinking that my solo travel was on its way. How about you? Do you have quotes that inspire and will compel you of making a headway about your plans. Your travels ?
Before I drink my last cup of coffee, let me leave you these messages.
“Express yourself through travel. Meet people of different colors. Eat foods of different cooks. Soonest,you will discover that you are unique and one-of-a-kind human being.”
— anonymously Gold
“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because, they want to do it.”
— Dwight D. Eisenhower
“One travels more usefully when alone because he reflects more.”
— Thomas Jefferson
“Travelling is the answer to the question about LOVE.”
“The gladdest moment in human life is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton
Looking at those bulky luggages pileup, lifeless and cold, I can’t help but reminisce some memories as they flash on. Its been a year that one of these luggages was an active participant on our journey before it landed in comatose. Lying helplessly and taking its rightful rest, time will tell when it’s going to have its activity again.
Packing things up inside a luggage is easier when it’s done ahead of time. Two weeks, perhaps. A week, or days in advance. But, sometimes it is much harder to pack things up, trying to load all what you want to bring along. Just pack the most important ones and they will fit.
At Farmer’s Market, Taipei Expo
Taiwan is in the western Pacific ocean off the coast of southeastern China. It is a developed country with Taipei as its capital. Mandarin is widely spoken but its young population understand English as well.
Taiwan has numerous beautiful places to visit. Tourists may find their buses full plying to other destinations, so reservations are a must.
Today, as CoVID19 continues to soar in other industrialized countries, Taiwan on the other hand had a smaller impact with smaller number of deaths on record. With 23.7 million inhabitants, it has 455 corona virus cases and only 7 deaths. The month of May 2020 saw restaurants opening with customers no longer wearing face mask and no longer socially distancing themselves.
Eco Ark, Taipei, Taiwan
Chiang Kai Sek Memorial Shrine
If you are a person motivated by arts, or a visionary of arts whose zeal is somewhat extravagant then, you have to visit this place, Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
at Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Shrine
.
If you are in some painful sensation in the stomach, it’s a reminder that your state ofenergy was used up and you need some foods to power you up. Try these energy boosting chicha inside Farmers Market at Taipei Expo.
ginseng roots…
.
Taipei, being a chinese city enjoys religious freedom. There are two churches that are in proximity with each other, Catholic and Islam.
This is the Holy Family Catholic church located at #50, Sec. 2, Xinsheng South Rd. Taipei 106, Taiwan
Taipei Grand Mosque, #62 HsinSheng, South Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei, Taiwan
My adventure will not end here. Travel while you’re still young. Collect memories. Meet different people and experience the different cultures. See new places, eat different foods cooked in different ways. Live other people’s lives, their style, their moment even for a short time. There are plenty of chances to attempt in your own gamble and risk.
“Travel plans make me happy; the realization, excited and very happy; my return, sad and happy” – bacardi
I have few friends. Befriending anyone demands my feel. A feeling of lightness towards a person may lead to consider opening up a conversation. Physical appearance is insignificant. Through a conversation, my first impression could be partially based and I could gamble for a second plunge.
This is how friend is defined by the dictionary. I took only three significant definitions. I thought that using pictures will further boost what the dictionary says.
It is a noun.
1.a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
to add (a person) to one’s list of contacts on a social media website:
An idiomatic expression of friend.
make friends with, to enter into friendly relations with; become a friend to.
There are many sub-topics about friends that could be discussed. Idioms, quotes, quotations, sayings, poems, and songs could be written about. Its significance could not be ruled out in our everyday undertakings. Its meaning could be put to practice. We could find friends anywhere. And enemies, too. But who needs one. I prefer trustworthy friends rather than bitter enemies. The world would be peaceful with friends. Count on me and let’s make this universe happy.
Friends could be an animal or nature. It doesn’t always mean to be humans. Even beasts could become a sweet friend. In some instances wild animals could be domesticated and eventually adopt our ways and behavior and become our dearest friend.
This is all for now. Be a friend to everybody. It’s worth to be one.
It’s the rainy season again and the lockdown is sustaining its anchor in parts of the metropolis. Here in the province, its seems to manifest in the society about the dangers of being complacent about the virus. Strict measures were imposed during the pandemic and it paid off, so to speak.
Here I am, not being able to go back to Manila, squeezing the monotony of sleeping- late and waking-late habit to the limit. Watching TV programs on a bad reception was really a visual irritant to the eyes with only three channels to hatefully choose and accept as the remaining stations in the province, as ABS CBN was purposely chained to oblivion.
In time, I’ll be at the airport for the flight back to where I live with me, myself, and I. Passes are my only glitch that clog my system to grow my wings and quickly pack my things up for the flight anytime. This pandemic made our lives slow moving.
Listening to music on a Made in China bluetooth speaker makes me feel guilty of not honoring my membership to boycott Made In China products. Just yesterday, I went to the city to buy my medicines and paid my overdue bills. The thought of buying a small speaker for my laptop popped up. Choosing what brand to buy was effortless. All the other makes were china made. Can’t do anything, the price was cheap for a JBL bluetooth speaker.
I don’t mind quitting and throwing out my membership the next morning. It’s just a key away to make it happen. I should have kept it to get on the “heroic” act being waged worldwide in the internet. Anyways, no one knew about my membership in a hate post in FB but myself. The post now has one less minute voice shouting their slogan.
For now, anticipating a fresh rose-colored chance on finding some stimuli to make myself more active and lively in the days to come. Getting for my passes needed for the travel back to Manila where my yearning points, will be my triumph.
I’m waiting for a spark to strike me to begin a topic of discussion. Something that will ignite my mind and feelings to write. It hasn’t come to me at this moment. Maybe at the stretch of this piece it will come slowly and without my knowledge this writing is finished.
Inspiration ! This is what I am waiting for. Ideas. Feelings. Arousal of my mind. I still can’t advance the continuance of what I am looking for. Maybe I have to concentrate a little more. I have to do away with a little disturbance. But the distraction is making me think deeply enough. Hoping my train of thoughts would not be disturbed and break its continuity. Again, concentrate.
An inspiration is what I need to start coining some phrases and conceiving it as a sentence. Agreeing to what it means needs a little pondering of the mind. Sentence construction is of the essence. Stanzas will be formed as my sentences are grouped to one thought or scene.
Inspire me more !
Express a thought one after another. Write what my mind is reeling at the moment. Continue until it stop. Stoppage gives me the chance to think further to give me more millage. Continue as I begin again to step on the pedal of speed.
Is it time to end? Have my ideas been expressed to the limit? Tenses and others, checked? Did I picture it right about my ideas and views of what I have expressed in my sentences? The whole stanzas? The whole piece? Was it the truth?
I find it hard to start writing an article right now. My mind just don’t function well. I’m looking for an inspiration for my consciousness to start grinding words to take off from my dusty brain. I just can’t begin a sensible and familiar topic to talk about. So, I’ve made up my mind to just copy paste one of my works from my previous wordpress website. I made a little correction along the way while reviewing it. It’s a poem for children.
THE BALLOON, AND THE CHILD’S WISH
he tossed a balloon into the air
it flew up as he made a blank stare
it went up, up, up, and then away
until it hid behind the clouds of gray
he wondered what has happened to it
when it continued to soar like a fighter jet
would it reach Heaven and be on the list
as one of the angels that ever exist
when would it come down and land on the lawn
would it take time just before the break of dawn
would it still be round and clean and without dirt
or would it be full of craters like the moon of the earth
he didn’t know the answer so he did just wait
he’ll be there at the window to rest its fate
did it reach Heaven, did St. Peter made a plea
he just wished and said, “His Rooster will bring it back to me…”
Enduring the boredom of staying at home makes it a hell on earth. Its been four months since I left Manila to visit my 94 year-old mother in the province and it felt like I’m a sloth in the middle of the forest climbing trees after trees in slomo. Disengaging myself from my daily routine within the active and fast city time and keeping in touch with the slow and idle moments of provincial time meant loosing track of the days in a week. Instead, I was chasing a loitering day and a choking night.
Within 4 months, I’ve gone to the city 3 times only because of the quarantine periods and other regulations pertaining to the lockdowns. Joining the uneasiness of driving are the checkpoints which made me feel on the verge of wilting a little.
Longing for home ? Yes. And I’m missing my home in Manila. I can’t help but think about the physical condition of my house. It might be very dirty already. The stink of the stray felines’ feces in the garage could be overpowering. The stench of cockroaches in the kitchen. The dusty floor may already be colored smog. Maybe the rats made the engine of my car their home. And the mosquitoes had multiplied a hundredfold.
How many months more can I travel and be back to Manila? Reports have been made public about flights being canceled, re-booked and canceled again. People have been flowing to the airport but flights have been called off. Some flights have not been confirmed. Some have waited for months and made the airport their temporary home and shelter.
But what’s the fuzz all about? Oh! COVID-19 is wiping the population dry if a solution could not be found in the earliest time possible. This Wuhan virus could kill us all.
The vagaries of life through a 38-year-old prism and innuendo about varied opinions, books, movies, travelogues, sports and general mish-mash to keep me busy. Savvy?
