1660

Taking trips usually changes you.


It distorts your concept of reality.

It destroys your preconceived notion of a place and its people.

I haven’t been around that much but I try to see as much as I can with my limited resources.

And the distortion and destruction of my illusions of Japan came at a very good price.

Thanks to 5J, I was able to go to the land of the rising sun for only P1662 pesos for a return ticket.

Heck, my first bullet train which was about 10 minutes, is almost worth that.

a bug's life

What do we get when we are able to step on a pesky bug?

Is it the same feeling of satisfaction we get when we look down on people?  
As the eternal Desiderata says, 

If you compare yourself with others, 

you may become vain or bitter, 

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. 

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 

Those who know they are greater than others, but remain mum about it, my utmost admiration. 

And to those who brandish the flag of pride, woe to you.


And for those who feel they're greater than others, enjoy the attitude that freedom accords you. 

Barriers

Barriers are set in our minds and distance is relative.

Most of my barriers I realized are only in my mind.

Globetrotting friends showed me borders are not barriers, you can go wherever you want to go. You just have to go!


People who love freely and passionately showed me that life is too short to dwell on what might-have-beens, you have to live in the moment.


People who have encountered barriers in life and love showed me that these barriers are not barriers at all. Rather they are just bumps on the road or a structure that we can catapult over.


Barriers, should there be, shouldn't limit our capacity to explore, imagine and enjoy.


Much has been said of a borderless world, so much has been said of limitless possibilities, and yet barriers bug us down because we let them.


No highways would have been completed if the engineers see mountains as barriers…..rather than structures by which they would carve a path.

So when the road gets rough and unnavigable, I will not fret. There could be a path less traveled by, friendlier to my feet and my butt.

You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman

My Toy Story fever has not subsided yet. 


You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me
If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and can see it through
Cause you've got a friend in me 

Some other folks might be
A little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too
Maybe
But none of them will ever love you
The way I do, it's me and you 

Boy, and as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see it's our destiny
You've got a friend in me

Epiphany

One Sunday, the pastor talked about things that give us counterfeit security. These may be our material possessions, career, relationships. It could be anything that may offer us a semblance of stability in our most human desire to feel secure about ourselves.

Everyone has his own version and it's only a matter of time before one of these fail our expectations.

So what now? As Christians, we believe that God is our only stable anchor. But some may view it as escapism, like a sinking vessel, do we choose to seek to believe in a higher being to explain everything that cannot be explained or some may deem it is a coward's way out.

Growing up in Sunday school, my brain is wired to believe without question, a fact which is detrimental to my testimony as a Christian. I'll have to spend more time trying to delve deeper into the faith I profess. What do I believe? Why do I believe? So that I can have a better testimony as a believer. Not for my glory but for His alone.