In some parts of the world buses are still the most widely used transportation. In third world countries you often see people jam-packed even to the roof of buses just so they can get a ride to wherever they may be headed. Well S.R.O., as is often seen plainly on the windshield of these buses stands for Standing Room Only. If you weren't early enough or were really in a hurry to get to who knows where you may have to be standing for the rest if not the entire trip.
Imagine that it's only 9 am and the heat is barely tolerable already. You crowd into a bus full of people speaking multiple dialects you have no understanding of. The road conditions are bad to say the least and you wonder to yourself if the bus you are in is even capable of getting anywhere given the shabby shape it's in. It's dusty, it's humid, no indication of a decent rest room stop anywhere, not that you may be expecting a decent one, if any.Well, you get the picture. Welcome to the third world, my friend, as they say. You have only one thing in your mind and that is to just bear with it, hope that the bus doesn't break, and maybe get there in one piece. I don't know about you but it sounds like adventure to me.
Once in a while it's good to break from the norm, to immerse yourself into something totally different, to be in a culture oceans ways from yours. I am not saying you ought to take a vacation several times a year. What I am saying ids that we should constantly remind ourselves that there is a different world out there, and that you are not alone. For every worry you experience, for whatever reason you may be smiling or in tears for, there is a person out there feeling the same thing, going through the same emotions for the same reason as yours. we are not that different from each other. What makes you laugh and cry makes the rest of us pretty much do the same.
So don't forget, expand your horizons and know tat the only limits you may encounter are your own. Hop on that bus, get off the next village, secure clan drinking water, take tons of pictures, make new friends. Be your own ambassador. Life is too short. Standing Room Only or not, we gotta ride. Until our next post, folks. Take care.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Cradle
Will I ever remember?
That warmth tugs at my soul,
leaving me to wonder how and when I strayed.
The cradle that is you,
giving we warmth and tenderness.
How is it that I failed to recall?
When all that really mattered was you.
Where have you been all my life?
Will you not let me return?
Let me feel the inner peace
only your love brings.
Nothing in this life is ever certain,
we all must do our time.
Take me back to that cradle,
let me be a child once again.
Knowing nothing else but joy.
Joy in the cradle of your love.
That warmth tugs at my soul,
leaving me to wonder how and when I strayed.
The cradle that is you,
giving we warmth and tenderness.
How is it that I failed to recall?
When all that really mattered was you.
Where have you been all my life?
Will you not let me return?
Let me feel the inner peace
only your love brings.
Nothing in this life is ever certain,
we all must do our time.
Take me back to that cradle,
let me be a child once again.
Knowing nothing else but joy.
Joy in the cradle of your love.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Under A Rainbowed Sky
Sitting, wondering, always searching..
under this rainbowed sky all else becomes clear.
Wishing, waiting, dreaming..
under this rainbowed sky nothing is ever the same.
My heart smiles and is agape with wonder.
How can something so beautiful remain lost?
Yet I wipe the bitter tears and look up,
dreaming under this rainbowed sky.
Is it really like this?
Having realized something for the first time,
when all along it's been there just waiting.
Ironic isn't it to finally know.
Yet as I look up and see this misted rainbow,
I see all that I have to see.
Nothing is ever permanent, nothing ever stays.
Under this sky or any other, we fade.
under this rainbowed sky all else becomes clear.
Wishing, waiting, dreaming..
under this rainbowed sky nothing is ever the same.
My heart smiles and is agape with wonder.
How can something so beautiful remain lost?
Yet I wipe the bitter tears and look up,
dreaming under this rainbowed sky.
Is it really like this?
Having realized something for the first time,
when all along it's been there just waiting.
Ironic isn't it to finally know.
Yet as I look up and see this misted rainbow,
I see all that I have to see.
Nothing is ever permanent, nothing ever stays.
Under this sky or any other, we fade.
A tale of two monkeys.
In a secluded portion of a forest on the bottom of the world lived two monkeys. One monkey loved adventure and kept on hopping from tree to tree, vine to vine, discovering every inch of every treetop and ravine. The other monkey, however, did nothing all day but stare at the sky, climbing down only to forage the ground for nuts or drink from the mountain spring. They kept to themselves, these monkeys, uncaring for one another or for the rest of the forest inhabitants for that matter.
During one fateful day the sky grew suddenly dark and the wind hardly blew. Everything became sullen and damp and eerily quiet. Alarmed, the two monkeys listened to the forest for clues, waiting for anything, really, and hoping against all hope that the weather will eventually change and the forest will come to life once again. On that fateful day a beginning indeed dawned upon them but not to their expectations. Years came to pass and the sky grew darker still. Food was scarce and each day grew even colder.
The monkey that kept staring at the sky decided to seek the noisy little one that had continuously annoyed him for years. Smelling the air for his scent and alarmed by its absence, he began to venture forth, heading for higher ground. Anywhere is better than here was his new motto in life. After days of travel and without food he had finally reached his limit. Having realized that he too were not as nimble as before, he accepted his fate and settled for the most comfortable spot he can reach. This would be just as good he mused, seeing that the end is near.
Later that day he noticed that a monkey, much like himself, was sitting on a branch looking down on him, as if observing him. With eyes of pity the other monkey came down and sat in front of the other. Let's call this monkey Mr. Noisy and the other Mr. Boring.
" When did you come up?" asked Mr. Noisy
" I don't remember. I've been sitting here for days and I can't move any further.", replied Mr. Boring.
"The world changed. There's nothing to eat for miles around and the sky would sometimes burn. We will perish, I fear.", says the noisy one.
"I know. I came looking for you. To say goodbye. I know I haven't been much of a conversant one through the years, but I came to see you for the last time." says the worn and tired boring one.
In that fateful moment they embraced, got up and decided to head for higher ground and await their ends. Life is just a drop in eternity's bucket. We will never know what fate awaits us. It is the now that matters and we have to live THIS LIFE and importantly SHARE IT. A tale of two monkeys is about reflecting on wasted time and unanswered hopes. It's about answering the call NOW and living NOW. It's about making your journeys count in this thing called LIFE.
During one fateful day the sky grew suddenly dark and the wind hardly blew. Everything became sullen and damp and eerily quiet. Alarmed, the two monkeys listened to the forest for clues, waiting for anything, really, and hoping against all hope that the weather will eventually change and the forest will come to life once again. On that fateful day a beginning indeed dawned upon them but not to their expectations. Years came to pass and the sky grew darker still. Food was scarce and each day grew even colder.
The monkey that kept staring at the sky decided to seek the noisy little one that had continuously annoyed him for years. Smelling the air for his scent and alarmed by its absence, he began to venture forth, heading for higher ground. Anywhere is better than here was his new motto in life. After days of travel and without food he had finally reached his limit. Having realized that he too were not as nimble as before, he accepted his fate and settled for the most comfortable spot he can reach. This would be just as good he mused, seeing that the end is near.
Later that day he noticed that a monkey, much like himself, was sitting on a branch looking down on him, as if observing him. With eyes of pity the other monkey came down and sat in front of the other. Let's call this monkey Mr. Noisy and the other Mr. Boring.
" When did you come up?" asked Mr. Noisy
" I don't remember. I've been sitting here for days and I can't move any further.", replied Mr. Boring.
"The world changed. There's nothing to eat for miles around and the sky would sometimes burn. We will perish, I fear.", says the noisy one.
"I know. I came looking for you. To say goodbye. I know I haven't been much of a conversant one through the years, but I came to see you for the last time." says the worn and tired boring one.
In that fateful moment they embraced, got up and decided to head for higher ground and await their ends. Life is just a drop in eternity's bucket. We will never know what fate awaits us. It is the now that matters and we have to live THIS LIFE and importantly SHARE IT. A tale of two monkeys is about reflecting on wasted time and unanswered hopes. It's about answering the call NOW and living NOW. It's about making your journeys count in this thing called LIFE.
Remember when Life was Simpler?
in this old rickety chair,
rocking back and forth as if to turn time.
My thoughts race back,
to a time I can only remember in dreams.
Those fondly remembered years,
when summers meant adventure and
winters meant reflection.
I remember when life was simpler.
Now an old man I can do nothing,
but,perhaps smile when memories tug at me.
How frail this life came to be.
The moments were lie dreams.
Before me I turn my withered hands,
each telling of a tale of a life,
hardened beyond years, mended by hope.
I remember when my life was simpler.
How is it that I never came to know,
this man trapped inside of me?
Now grey beyond count, I live for
only the memories.
In time I too shall pass.
I wonder who will remember me?
Will all that I shared be cherished?
Time takes all and mends all.
I remember when life was simpler,
when mornings were slow,
and sleep was another world.
Ahh, how I remember, I remember.
rocking back and forth as if to turn time.
My thoughts race back,
to a time I can only remember in dreams.
Those fondly remembered years,
when summers meant adventure and
winters meant reflection.
I remember when life was simpler.
Now an old man I can do nothing,
but,perhaps smile when memories tug at me.
How frail this life came to be.
The moments were lie dreams.
Before me I turn my withered hands,
each telling of a tale of a life,
hardened beyond years, mended by hope.
I remember when my life was simpler.
How is it that I never came to know,
this man trapped inside of me?
Now grey beyond count, I live for
only the memories.
In time I too shall pass.
I wonder who will remember me?
Will all that I shared be cherished?
Time takes all and mends all.
I remember when life was simpler,
when mornings were slow,
and sleep was another world.
Ahh, how I remember, I remember.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Lessons Learned
There once was a small village tucked away in a small valley in some unnamed part of the world during some forgotten time history. In this little village lived an old man who was known amongst his fellow villagers as some old unsociable hermit who did nothing all day but tend to his garden and spoke very little, if he spoke at all. He rarely went out of his little parcel of land, growing all that he ever needed to survive. With a handful of sheep and goats, he was able to provide for himself meager sustenance. Unbeknown to the villagers, however, is that this weary old soul has a secret. A secret he guarded for an entire lifetime. He spent most of his days sitting in his creaky old stool reminiscing times long gone and contemplating how he is to live out the remaining years of his life, however long or short those may be.
On one particular day, not that everyday in that village was ever particular, for that matter, it dawned on him that the time was drawing near to finally reveal his secret. Who will he disclose it to? A better question is will they believe him? Glancing over his shoulder at the old elm he contemplated again perhaps for the millionth time what those words mean. Carved into that tree were words which burned into his soul questions he simply has no answers for. " I am here now. It is time." What does it mean? Judging from how those words were carved they must have been put there by yet another lonely miserable soul an eternity ago. A lifetime he has spent trying to decipher that message and only now did he realize what they truly meant.
During his death very few ever paid him a visit. His graveyard was placed near a ravine and easily overlooked since it's been unattended for quite some time. Overgrown with dense vegetation it became another fixture in that landscape, unknown to the world, another passing of some unknown soul. Then one day, a young man wandering in the woods collecting plant samples happen to come along his grave site. On the tomb was an inscription that read," I have journeyed in this world with nothing but a longing to find inner peace. My life was a hard one and I was not one to hope for better. Only now do I truly know what 'I am here now. It is time.', truly meant. We are here for only a brief moment in time. We will pass on like a dream. For the time that was given to us we must give all that we can to make it worth well remembering. I lived my life like a dream and I now must pass on like one. Remember my words, weary traveler, and make the most of this life. It is indeed time."
Shaken, the young man stepped back, looked at the overgrown foliage, took some samples, then placed them unto his notebook with the description," Plants from the grave of a great man I never knew but taught me everything I should have known."
On one particular day, not that everyday in that village was ever particular, for that matter, it dawned on him that the time was drawing near to finally reveal his secret. Who will he disclose it to? A better question is will they believe him? Glancing over his shoulder at the old elm he contemplated again perhaps for the millionth time what those words mean. Carved into that tree were words which burned into his soul questions he simply has no answers for. " I am here now. It is time." What does it mean? Judging from how those words were carved they must have been put there by yet another lonely miserable soul an eternity ago. A lifetime he has spent trying to decipher that message and only now did he realize what they truly meant.
During his death very few ever paid him a visit. His graveyard was placed near a ravine and easily overlooked since it's been unattended for quite some time. Overgrown with dense vegetation it became another fixture in that landscape, unknown to the world, another passing of some unknown soul. Then one day, a young man wandering in the woods collecting plant samples happen to come along his grave site. On the tomb was an inscription that read," I have journeyed in this world with nothing but a longing to find inner peace. My life was a hard one and I was not one to hope for better. Only now do I truly know what 'I am here now. It is time.', truly meant. We are here for only a brief moment in time. We will pass on like a dream. For the time that was given to us we must give all that we can to make it worth well remembering. I lived my life like a dream and I now must pass on like one. Remember my words, weary traveler, and make the most of this life. It is indeed time."
Shaken, the young man stepped back, looked at the overgrown foliage, took some samples, then placed them unto his notebook with the description," Plants from the grave of a great man I never knew but taught me everything I should have known."
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Out in the Blue Azure
The salty wind calling to me,
deafening all but my troubled thoughts.
This vast eternal bliss of an ocean,
cannot hide my longing.
I wish I have lived in older times.
When men spoke and mean what they say.
I wish I saw this world when it was younger,
when every turn is an adventure to nowhere.
I wish all these things and maybe more,
but all I can think of now is filling this void.
oh eternal sea remind me once again,
how it feels to be truly here, to be alive.
deafening all but my troubled thoughts.
This vast eternal bliss of an ocean,
cannot hide my longing.
I wish I have lived in older times.
When men spoke and mean what they say.
I wish I saw this world when it was younger,
when every turn is an adventure to nowhere.
I wish all these things and maybe more,
but all I can think of now is filling this void.
oh eternal sea remind me once again,
how it feels to be truly here, to be alive.
Candle Light
How I adore you even now,
that deep smile always warms me.
In this candle light your kindness glows.
If only you can see me.
How I longed to hear your voice,
even if the words are without meaning.
To hear you speak to me again, would be like the angels singing.
My love, let me see you again.
Across this table you are worlds away.
Help me to know what this feeling really means.
to love and be loved for all eternity.
The shadows flicker and lay bare,
All that I try so much to conceal.
How weak I am in front of you,
And this candle light doesn't help me either.
that deep smile always warms me.
In this candle light your kindness glows.
If only you can see me.
How I longed to hear your voice,
even if the words are without meaning.
To hear you speak to me again, would be like the angels singing.
My love, let me see you again.
Across this table you are worlds away.
Help me to know what this feeling really means.
to love and be loved for all eternity.
The shadows flicker and lay bare,
All that I try so much to conceal.
How weak I am in front of you,
And this candle light doesn't help me either.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Flight
Amidst a vast blue sky,
with nothing but wind and faith,
flies a lonely soul.
A herald of freedom and life,
spiraling slowly towards oblivion.
Looking down on a solitary world.
What would I give to be free?
How would I harness freedom if I have it?
Will I forever be envious....
...and be drowned in this eternal longing?
Amidst a vast blue sky,
uncaring of anything but flight.
I finally understand why....
...I am forever alone.
Let me soar, this soul of the world.
Help me taste the wind and sun.
Let me fly and be free....
...flight.
with nothing but wind and faith,
flies a lonely soul.
A herald of freedom and life,
spiraling slowly towards oblivion.
Looking down on a solitary world.
What would I give to be free?
How would I harness freedom if I have it?
Will I forever be envious....
...and be drowned in this eternal longing?
Amidst a vast blue sky,
uncaring of anything but flight.
I finally understand why....
...I am forever alone.
Let me soar, this soul of the world.
Help me taste the wind and sun.
Let me fly and be free....
...flight.
Lollipops and Rainbows
Dangling on a ray of hope,
constantly wishing for a perfect world.
Where are you now or that smile?
How is it that my rainbows fade so?
Or I simply stopped seeing them.
It seems as though I am trapped in a dream,
where moments drag into years,
still waiting, yearning for anything.
Anything that will save me from myself.
Where are you now or that smile?
Take all of me and complete me,
for I am nothing but a walking bag of wish lists.
How is it that my life seems so dreary?
When all that you ever saw was hope and magic.
Where are you now? Are you smiling,still?
So here I am, constantly looking at my life's rainbows.
Hoping against all hope that they will forever etch my sky.
Hope is like a faintly remembered dream.
But here I am, hoping still.
Lollipop in hand, gazing at the rainbow.
constantly wishing for a perfect world.
Where are you now or that smile?
How is it that my rainbows fade so?
Or I simply stopped seeing them.
It seems as though I am trapped in a dream,
where moments drag into years,
still waiting, yearning for anything.
Anything that will save me from myself.
Where are you now or that smile?
Take all of me and complete me,
for I am nothing but a walking bag of wish lists.
How is it that my life seems so dreary?
When all that you ever saw was hope and magic.
Where are you now? Are you smiling,still?
So here I am, constantly looking at my life's rainbows.
Hoping against all hope that they will forever etch my sky.
Hope is like a faintly remembered dream.
But here I am, hoping still.
Lollipop in hand, gazing at the rainbow.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Seagulls' Lore
Alone in this lonely stretch of shore..
my thoughts as load as the roaring wind.
The pain in my heart stings like the salty air.
How has it come to this?
Where am I in your world?
"Will you die for me?", you asked.
How easy it would have been,
if you only knew how much I have loved you.
Only time can help me now,
time to sit in this stretch of loneliness,
time to remember why and how,
time to listen to the seagulls hovering above,
mocking me, laughing at my fate..
I would have died for you,
if only for my love to live in your heart.
Yet you laugh like the seagulls above,
Never to know that I have loved.
my thoughts as load as the roaring wind.
The pain in my heart stings like the salty air.
How has it come to this?
Where am I in your world?
"Will you die for me?", you asked.
How easy it would have been,
if you only knew how much I have loved you.
Only time can help me now,
time to sit in this stretch of loneliness,
time to remember why and how,
time to listen to the seagulls hovering above,
mocking me, laughing at my fate..
I would have died for you,
if only for my love to live in your heart.
Yet you laugh like the seagulls above,
Never to know that I have loved.
New Horizons
The gentle rolling of the clouds,
cannot contain the butterflies in my stomach.
What is this I feel,
is it fear or apprehension of the unknown?
Why can't I take that first step,
when chance and change beckons?
As I lay on a sea of grass in this unnamed hill,
I wonder if what lies beyond is indeed better.
No matter how I let loose my mind,
the butterflies still gnaw at me.
Ah, new horizons await,
another chance, another ray of hope...
..beyond this unnamed hill. Alas.
cannot contain the butterflies in my stomach.
What is this I feel,
is it fear or apprehension of the unknown?
Why can't I take that first step,
when chance and change beckons?
As I lay on a sea of grass in this unnamed hill,
I wonder if what lies beyond is indeed better.
No matter how I let loose my mind,
the butterflies still gnaw at me.
Ah, new horizons await,
another chance, another ray of hope...
..beyond this unnamed hill. Alas.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Home
Oh how I long to be in that dearest of places,
immersed in the familiar scents and uncaring voices
to go back to be greeted by that old wooden door, or
be heralded by the creaking of that weathered floor.
Oh how I missed that sagging old couch,
whose stains account for the memories of a lifetime.
That familiar sight outside the window, where youth gave
way to tired old bones.
Oh how I long to come home, to be whole, to belong.
Forever is the memory etched in my heart,
forever have I wished that I could still be a part.
Home..how I long for home.
immersed in the familiar scents and uncaring voices
to go back to be greeted by that old wooden door, or
be heralded by the creaking of that weathered floor.
Oh how I missed that sagging old couch,
whose stains account for the memories of a lifetime.
That familiar sight outside the window, where youth gave
way to tired old bones.
Oh how I long to come home, to be whole, to belong.
Forever is the memory etched in my heart,
forever have I wished that I could still be a part.
Home..how I long for home.
The Laughter of Children
I wish I could see the world with innocent eyes,
to not know what is good or bad, only what is true.
I wish I can laugh at all which the world throws at me,
like the silly little laugh of little children.
To hold but one moment in one's hand,
a defining grace which describes ones life.
To hold your love ones with genuine love,
and open your heart to a rupture of calmness.
I wish I could still see this world with innocent eyes,
and laugh at it all with gleeful joy.
At least that way I wouldn't even feel my tears rolling
down my face.
to not know what is good or bad, only what is true.
I wish I can laugh at all which the world throws at me,
like the silly little laugh of little children.
To hold but one moment in one's hand,
a defining grace which describes ones life.
To hold your love ones with genuine love,
and open your heart to a rupture of calmness.
I wish I could still see this world with innocent eyes,
and laugh at it all with gleeful joy.
At least that way I wouldn't even feel my tears rolling
down my face.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Wayward's End
Oh feet bring me over yonder..
make my dreams take flight and my imagination ponder.
What is there to see, taste, hear, and feel?
in that vast horizon i wonder if it's even real.
Oh time take not from me my mind's resolve...
Let me not pass through this life trapped in a dream.
Oh chance knock yet one more still...
Let me hold this moment tenderly and see it done, I will.
For tomorrow knows no promises, no bonds, no bounds..
it is the Here, the Now, that I yet live and breathe.
Oh feet do carry me away once again..
Let me taste this life before wayward's end.
make my dreams take flight and my imagination ponder.
What is there to see, taste, hear, and feel?
in that vast horizon i wonder if it's even real.
Oh time take not from me my mind's resolve...
Let me not pass through this life trapped in a dream.
Oh chance knock yet one more still...
Let me hold this moment tenderly and see it done, I will.
For tomorrow knows no promises, no bonds, no bounds..
it is the Here, the Now, that I yet live and breathe.
Oh feet do carry me away once again..
Let me taste this life before wayward's end.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
When we are one
I've almost forgotten how beautiful you really are,
the years have not taken much from your charm
I want to hold you now as I have then,
uncaring of the world outside our love.
Though each day that passes I grow weary and tired,
you still hold my hand and tell me to not be afraid.
When we are one I understand,
When we are one I feel what the years cannot take from us.
When we are one I am alive,
When we are one I fear nothing.
To you I owe everything, my love.
In this life, in this dream, in this love, we are one.
the years have not taken much from your charm
I want to hold you now as I have then,
uncaring of the world outside our love.
Though each day that passes I grow weary and tired,
you still hold my hand and tell me to not be afraid.
When we are one I understand,
When we are one I feel what the years cannot take from us.
When we are one I am alive,
When we are one I fear nothing.
To you I owe everything, my love.
In this life, in this dream, in this love, we are one.
Out There I See
A blue sky falling towards a sea of nothing..
calling to me, waiting for my chance to drown in it.
I hear the quiet surreal sound of nature..
a call of the wild long forgotten or seen through deaf ears.
A world so vast and untangible locked away in a dream..
if only I can stay there, live there with you.
Out there I see my emptiness, my sadness..
if only I can hold your hand and feel the calmness of your spirit.
Out there I see why I have this deep longing..
heal me, release me, let me live again.
Out there I see and feel your love..
warm me again with your smile, even amidst this cold blue sky.
calling to me, waiting for my chance to drown in it.
I hear the quiet surreal sound of nature..
a call of the wild long forgotten or seen through deaf ears.
A world so vast and untangible locked away in a dream..
if only I can stay there, live there with you.
Out there I see my emptiness, my sadness..
if only I can hold your hand and feel the calmness of your spirit.
Out there I see why I have this deep longing..
heal me, release me, let me live again.
Out there I see and feel your love..
warm me again with your smile, even amidst this cold blue sky.
A Time to Remember
A time to toil, A time to heal, A time to rediscover,A time to forget....
However so many times I fail to see, that which I wish for could never be.
As the clouds roll by and the sun sets away, my life becomes a second tucked
into eternity's sway.
If only I could remember how I would have done things, if only I could remember
how to feel and consider everything.
A time to remember who I really am, a time to shed a tear, a time to etch a smile, a time to feel my life again....
Ah a time to remember indeed.
However so many times I fail to see, that which I wish for could never be.
As the clouds roll by and the sun sets away, my life becomes a second tucked
into eternity's sway.
If only I could remember how I would have done things, if only I could remember
how to feel and consider everything.
A time to remember who I really am, a time to shed a tear, a time to etch a smile, a time to feel my life again....
Ah a time to remember indeed.
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