What have I learned

" Mountain Pinks " - They are rare flowers, they bloom around the first week of the wet spring, they are too small, too delicate and the flowers usually wilt and die within a week - a couple at the max.

Anyway, what is the relation of this picture to my blog?, Just read along and you'll find out, One relation for sure is that I am the photographer of this beautiful little cluster of flowers.

I'll start up by saying that it is 11:15 PM already and the date is Oct. 1st, a couple days from now, I will be celebrating that dreadful day ( or maybe not ) another chapter of my life will come to an end and a new one will about to begin...

...A clean slate - to be filled up with something new, eventful and uneventful details of life - happy & sad - exciting & boring - heartwarming & annoying - Intelligent & dumb...

...There comes a point in our life that we question everything, a certain time that we seem to ask Why?- not just once but almost a dozen times, I have longed to find all the answer to my life's question but most of them seems so near but yet so far, all I see are blurred images of things that i wanted to know, so much to do yet so little time.

At times, It breaks my heart to look back on some of the events that happen to me, most especially after college when everything seems to be going the way I wanted it to be and the way I planned my life to be...Excellent job offers from big companies - A fresh graduate with a lot of opportunities - Big time companies with job positions that only a few could dream and imagine...but then...

...I decided to turn my back and go the other route- the road that I had planned for myself is slowly closing it's doors...I turned my back to all this wonderful opportunities, left for the U.S. to gamble into the unknown - It's difficult not having any ideas of what lies ahead, the uncertainty , challenges and disappointments, I've always tried to be an achiever but the task right in front of me seems to be more than what I could handle...

...I left with my family but my heart stayed back home, all the people who are so dear to me - now just a memory that my mind will have to hold on...It's a long flight, almost 16 hours of excitement, sadness and uncertainty...The " what If's, How and When" are racing through my mind...I wish I knew the answers then....but then again - The doors of Opportunities back home are now a mere memory being blown by the winds of time.

It's been a while now since I last looked back, most everything and everybody had moved on, I had managed to find my footings eventhough I stumbled upon many divets and potholes - Every encounter and experience is life's lesson that we have to learn & face along the way...

...It hurts - good enough to break my spirit but I just continued and moved on...

...I would say this now and I'm only saying this because of the experiences that I had " Life without adventure is like Life lived in a box " Life won't wait for us, we have to move with it, disappointments doesn't hold us back - We hold ourselves back after the disappoinments - " It's O.k. to cry, It's alright to cry but we have to move on while we cry " or we will find ourselves stuck in the same place where the tears flowed down and you'll find yourself stuck in agony and pain.

I don't know If I am just a sentimental fool but looking back to all those wonderful years (some good and some not as I want it to be ) made me realize that "Time sure fly"...I can only hope that during those times, I was able to touch somebody else's life...It's nice to live yourlife but it's great when you touch someone.

Now, what is the relation of the Mountain Pinks to this blog? - Although life may seem too short for us to do all the things that we aspire, let's make good use of the moment and try to live it as humanly possible or as we can, the Mountain Pinks only have a couple weeks to live it's life but still in that short period of time the flower showed it's beauty and blossomed into something beautiful and truly inspirational.

"Life is not all about the maps, It's also about the adventures! Go forth and explore but always remember to keep an openmind." ~NEiL G.

Friends

Friends ( D'LARN )

How often do you meet a bunch of strangers and they end up being your most treasured friends? It is true that we may have a lot of com rads and acquaintances but to have a Friend ( a group of them in my case ) is something unique and special.

I feel fortunate that in my lifetime, I had the privilege of meeting such people, They are those folks who helped me to be who I am now and will always be thankful for all the wonderful years we spent together. A REAL friend is hard to come by...but when you find one or two or three - I mean the REAL ones, Treasure them - they are more than worth your time and money. And honestly, If everything in your life falls apart ( which I hope not )- you will have your friend with you to help you get on your feet again, Always remember, your friend will not only be the person to say "yes and good " all the time, they will also be the person who will tell you the truth and the realities that could sometimes hurt but is necessary for you to gain personal growth. " The truth sometimes hurt, aren't you glad you have someone to tell you about it before you humiliate your self in front of millions?"

I am so glad and delighted that even though things have changed and time has aged all of us ( not wrinkled yet ) We stayed in contact and remained friends. In my opinion the distance that separates all of us became our way of strengthening the bond of our friendship.
" Distance is just a state of mind ", sure, we miss all those times that we hang around the street corner or at Ruby's Patio and talk our way through the night, maybe not talking anything sensible but at least it's a good way for us to express what we feel and a way for us to say it " In our own way and In our own style " I sure miss those "TEEN" years but like time itself - We have to move on.

Most of us have our own families now, some have/had relationships that did and didn't last, we experienced the triumph and struggles of the REAL Life and now most especially We know that money is not that easy to come by yet so easy to spend. The responsibilities that we use to take for granted is now bigger than life, I sure wish I could turn the hands of time back to where everything was simple, but then again - what is the purpose of my life if I won't face the challenges that lays ahead of me. I know my friends faces the same difficulties as I am, although of different degrees and situation but in the end We know that at least someone will be there to catch us in any mishaps or tumble that we may encounter along the way.

Amidst the time and years that we haven't seen each other - a short phone conversation brings so much memories and I mean the special ones.

Now I'm a Godfather to Don & Aida's 5 year old Daughter and so Is Ruby ( a Godmother that is...not the fairy kind ), My best friend Rey and I are still best friends - strong as ever - goofy as always ( I'm so proud of how well he's doing with his life now ) Liezl & Ruby are the same - best friends for life, Chatty as always...lol, Liezl has her own family now as well as Rizza, Although Sharon and Rey's relationship faltered, we're happy that they remained friends. Ruby and I are thousands of miles away from everyone but like what I said - Distance is only a state of mind, having true friends is like having a special connection to everybody no matter where you are or no matter what the case may be.

D'LARN - Don, Liezl, Aida, Rona, Rizza, Ruby, Nante & Neil

Words of Wisdom by Maya Angelou

I want to share with you guys an e-mail that my sister sent me, I must say that of ALL the e-mails that I have received, this is one that I really enjoyed reading. So sit down and learn, sometimes It's not about the words but the meanings.

Words of wisdom by Maya Angelou :

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today,life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/shehandles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangledChristmas tree lights."

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents,you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making alife'."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitton both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, Iusually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forgetwhat you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel."

***
Maya Angelou's wisdom is truly a gift.

There is so much for us to learn yet life seems so short, although looking on the bright side of life, I just have to make the most of what I have and what I've got, I can't dwell upon the things that I don't have but I sure can make the best of the things that I already have...

...and one more thing " Life is not all about the Maps, It's also about the Adventures, go on and explore but always remember to keep an open-mind "~NEiL G.

The Blog

I want to start this blog in a positive way, knowing myself, I know i could get pretty involved with a lot of things whether it concerns me directly or indirectly, I strongly believe that the only way we could learn and continuously improve is to be able to accept or contradict opinions as well as to keep an open-mind about all the issues and topics being discussed. Often times our emotions supersedes our logical thinking, these are the situations where the saying " Sticking your foot in your mouth" could easily apply. I hope to post, informative, funny, logical, controversial and exciting ideas on this blog...or whatever comes in mind.