24 Life Lessons for the 24 Years That I am Alive: Lesson 3

Lesson 3. Don't listen to a word that your neighbors say.

1986 - Year 3 in the life of Rchrd.

Back in 1986, I can't really remember much but I do remember two things: my sister was born on 1986 and my neighbors said so many things about her already.

They were saying, "Hala hindi ka na mahal ng Daddy mo. May iba na siyang mahal." Roughly translated, they said that I was in big trouble because my Daddy had a new kid to love; he would not love me anymore. Much of that threat became ingrained in me as I was growing up. Because of that, I bullied my sister. I used to say that she was ugly just because I really thought that she was replacing me in the hearts of my parents. It is sad to say but I was not a good big brother to my sister when we were growing up.

Looking back in time, I feel bad about it. Even though we were bitter enemies when we were kids, I now appreciate my sister in so many ways. She is one person that equalls me intellectually. We could have conversations about genetics and art in the easiest manner. Just this Sunday, we watched Harry Potter 6, and she treated because I didn't have enough budget to watch a movie.

I wouldn't have this regret if I didn't listen to my stupid -- yes they are stupid -- neighbors. Had I known what I know now, I would have taken better care of her.

The picture came from this website: http://architel.com/2008/05/01/gossip-or-networking-2/.

24 Life Lessons for the 24 Years That I am Alive: Lesson 2

Lesson 2. Sometimes, some things are better best forgotten.

1985 - Year 2 in the life of Rchrd.

Since I don't really recall anything from when I was 2 years old, I can't seem to find anything relevant to tell. However, as I was thinking of an idea for my next story that will be published in The Ivory Tower, I was able to get some perspective about the whole lesson.

Usually, we forget things that are unimportant. They don't seem to have a big impact on our lives anyway. Perhaps, that's why we remember other more important things. On the other hand, we do also forget important things. They may lead to life-changing decisions like a loss of a job or a break-up with somebody. Nevertheless, in retrospect, we might not have gotten that better job or that better lover had we not forgotten that important thing. I think, it's all in how we look at things.

Some times, even though we might not recall one thing, perhaps, it is best not to. I'll leave this all up to fate and faith. Now that I've learned this lesson, I am just enjoying the ride.

The picture was taken from http://infectedsoul.deviantart.com/art/Death-Becomes-Forgetful-33805172.

24 Life Lessons for the 24 Years That I am Alive: Lesson 1

Strolling through the blogosphere, I stumbled upon the blog of Cat, Quarterlife, and I encountered her "24 things i learned" post. As I am now absentmindedly biographical, I thought that I'd do the same but with a twist. I'll highlight the best lesson that I learned during each year for the 24 years that I am alive.

Here we go!

Lesson 1. Life finds a way.

1984 - Year 1 in the life of Rchrd.

When I was born, my mother said that I was colored green, didn't cry, and incurred an infection from being born postmaturely. The doctors said to her that I must have ingested some of my excretions while still in the womb. Ergo, I nearly died after being born but I am still here. I am writing this blog post, a proof that life finds a way.

The picture was taken from http://www.childrens.com/healthlibrary/healthlibcontent.cfm?pageid=p02399.

Perspective

Sometimes, we can only see the beauty of things we take for granted when we change our perspective.

As I was bored out of my wits last week, I took a picture of our rafters. It was a half-hearted shot and a surprise when the picture came out really well. The over exposure of the lower left part of the picture contrasted nicely with the underexposed top right portion. The shadows were really dark and the light parts exposed the ridges of our roof.

With that first picture, I started to look around the house and tried to find other parts of the house that would look good on camera given the proper angle and perspectives.

The left middle picture, the one colored pink is my current bed spread. The right middle picture is the jalousie frame of my window. The bottom picture is of our bench in the living room. All these pictures came out really well.

However, I took the pictures with the black and white setting of my camera phone so I decided to colorize the photographs to add more appeal.

Given that I am not a professional at this, I would like to say that I am proud of these pictures because they surprised me; I always thought that our house was quite ugly and unfinished, but when I looked at it with a different perspective, I was able to appreciate its beauty.

Definitely a Puzzling Question

A friend of mine forwarded a quote to me.

Which way would you take?

The left one where there's nothing right? Or the right one where there's nothing left?

Nice play of words. Think about it.

I guess it's really hard to choose. A conundrum, dilemma, and a stalemate. I just thought I would share.

To ConAss is to Con Your Ass

Shocking title, huh?!

I really don't know what to say about that ConAss shit that's buzzing all around the blogosphere. A lot of people have been blogging about that topic. I'd like to say that I have a good idea about the issue, but in reality, I really don't know squat about that topic. From what I've heard about it from my sister, it stands for Constituent Assembly. From what I have read about it in Ayel's site, it has an alien name that sounds like C3P0 or R2D2; if my memory serves me right, it's HR 1109.

Ok, so far, so good, right?

Nevertheless, I don't care what it really stands for because no matter what they plan in congress, senate, or any other governing body, it wouldn't matter. FILIPINO POLITICIANS DO NOT HAVE THE WILL TO CHANGE ANYTHING FOR THE GOOD OF THEIR PEOPLE. I'd have to generalize but nothing ever changes around here. The same trend keeps on popping up. Politicians just want to have money, power, and popularity. Why else would they dabble in a supposedly private issue such as that of Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili. If they wanted to improve on the Philippine condition, the matter of pornography should've been addressed a good long time ago. Likewise, if politicians here wanted to take away corruption, it should have been done even before Manuel L. Quezon died.

Harsh, huh?!

You may call me idealistic; I might be dreaming up a utopia, but the fact still remains. We are still poor. We are still dirty. We are still nutty. Just look at EDSA. It's colored pink for a divinity's sake! We've had People Power Revolutions (approximately 2 or 3, depending on whose side a citizen is on). We still have flood. We still have corruption. Even if we call the president emperor, czar, prime minister, God, or Grand Fuhrer, it will not change a thing. Shuffle a deck of cards, but leave the same cards in it and it's still the same DAMNED FUCKING piece of shitty playing cards.

I thank you! *bow*

At a Crossroads

I am at a crossroads right now. My life is running a little bit crazy at the moment and it is time for me to make a radical change. Work is not doing well. My creativity has stopped flowing, and cash is running short right now.

Due to the economic crisis, my company is planning to cut back on our retainer's fee. Since we follow the American school year, we are facing the summer term and our service, tutorials, we are not receiving a lot of requests for it. With the demand going down, the company revenue is dwindling, which trickles down to us. In my view, I need to get another job -- fast!

I have also stopped writing because of the constant thought on how to get another job and more money. I can't even elaborate on this aspect. I am so blocked right now.

Money, money, money! I need lots of it. Please donate! Seriously though, I would like to get some money so I can get back on track. I am starting to pile on bills and I don't want to be swamped. I don't want to beg and this is not solicitation. This is the least of my worries.

In a way, life is pulling me in different directions. The crossroad wants me to get a new job, write, and get tons of money. Hopefully, I choose the right way so I can end up in a place where every problem is solved.