The Awakening

I feel that I need to be dedicated to something. I need to learn how to commit. It's like I've been living all my life switching from one hobby to another, hopping off this idea and then another. It's enough. I'm 18 and I ought to make a change.

So I came upon the thought of starting up a street photography blog, or a travel blog maybe. I've given up on my fashion blog, my food blog and my personal blog. I hope I do, seriously, keep up with this new blog. I hate obligations but it's time for me do create something wonderful...that I can hopefully look back on in a year's time and say 'wow look what I've done so far'. I know it would feel amazing to have accomplished a 365 but it's definitely, not easy. But today, the 3rd October 2012, I have decided to start something new.

Maybe it's the adrenaline rush that made me do this, I don't know. I just watched 'One Day' for the third time and I still love it. I (somehow) relate myself to Emma Morley, but then again we aren't really in the same context, or setting.

Okay so this is it - a photo a day, a 365. And I plead myself to please, have faith in myself, lol.

Dare to Dream

The light turns red- so you're supposed to stop. Yes, stop. Stop and ponder. Take a little break and immerse yourself into total blankness. Imagine your life as a piece of white paper.  And well now you are allowed to paint. You may begin to paint it in your heart's desires, in whichever way you want it to be.

(Below is an article I found - again when I was cleaning my room today. Enjoy.)

The word ‘dreams’ conjures up many images – the activity our brains engage in when we are asleep; the woolgathering that our irate teachers and parents catch us doing when we should be paying attention; the aspirations that give our lives meaning and purpose. Many psychoanalysts tell us that dreams are important for ‘clearing out the software’ from a busy day, a form of ‘off-line’ processing to save the good stuff and get rid of the useless. Pragmatic employers, parents and educators, however may scoff at the idea that dreams are important, arguing instead that dreams – in particular, daydreaming – take precious time away from work, as success is achieved through hard work, and hard work alone. While their arguments are not totally wrong, dreams are still important for our health and overall functioning, for igniting out creative spark, and for giving us the impetus to stay true to our ideals.

First, dreams are integral to our physical and mental health. Dream theorists argue that while we sleep and our bodies are at rest, the mind, through the act of dreaming, sorts out the events of the day – what Freud terms ‘day residue’ – and gets it ready to function at its optimal best the next day. Seen from this biological point of view, dreams are necessary because they help our bodies de-stress and rejuvenate. Given the increasingly hectic pace of modern living, dreams therefore are essential to help us manage our daily avalanche of sensory experiences, so that we remain physically and mentally productive, rather than falling prey to stress-related illnesses.

Furthermore, dreams – in the form of daydreaming – have value because they allow our creative juices to flow. Unfortunately, many skeptics (mostly bosses and teachers and anxious parents) dismiss daydreaming as a waste of time, an occupation of the lazy and the bored. Thankfully, for those of us, whether students or employees, who treasure and enjoy the time spent daydreaming, there is strong support for the importance of daydreaming. When we daydream in school or at work – just relaxing or woolgathering as some of us like to call it – we let our minds wander. Unfettered by time, space and logic, we have the glorious freedom to imagine and link ideas in unrelated ways that our conscious minds will not do. The result? We make connections that we have never seen before and imagine things that do not exist, expanding our horizons and allowing true reflection that is usually curtailed by the pressures of time. Daydreaming enabled Newton to discover his laws of gravity, Robert Frost to ponder the road less travelled, and the Wright brothers to imagine the possibility of flying. In today’s innovation-driven age, it pays for companies who want to succeed to allow more time for their employees to daydream. Already, companies like Google and 3M have taken steps to harness this creative need for individual expression in concrete ways. Google lets it employees spend 20% of their time on technology projects of their own choice, projects that catch their fancy. Google News, G-mail and Orkut were developed from this freewheeling time. Such ‘idea labs’ indeed attest to the sweet irony that dreams, far from being a waste of time, can actually help companies to come up with more cutting-edge products and services and become pioneers in their industries.

More significantly, dreams – the act of aspiring towards a goal – give us vision. They provide direction for our lives and give us something to work toward. Some skeptics complain that dreams can be overly ambitious and unrealistic, and as such, may give individuals the false hope that they can succeed despite their lack of talent, resources or circumstance. However, it is precisely having goals beyond our present reach, a big picture or high flown ideals, that allow us to challenge our ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ and make great transformational changes. That black Americans enjoy a greater measure of racial equality today is due in no small part to Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘overly ambitious’ dream. Who would have thought at that moment that it would be possible for black Americans to vote and to enjoy basic liberties? Or that amongst them, one would one day lead their country as President? Dreams evoke emotions and drive that can power our actions more profoundly than pure logic and reason. They can unite people and capture the imagination, and be the platform from which our desires to enrich and renew society can be envisioned.

Dreams – our hopes and our aspirations – are vital because they help us to stay the course and remain true to our ideals amidst disappointment and suffering. Dreams act as the bright Northern Star that helps us to navigate and find our bearings; help us find what gives our lives meaning and purpose. Iran’s Mousavi may have suffered defeat against political incumbent President Ahmadinejad in the latest elections, but his dream of ending political and religious oppression, and improving the economic lives of Iranians will help him stay true to his vision, even as he suffers the repercussions of his political defiance. Gandhi, Mandela, and Mother Teresa – they have all endured suffering and hardship, but remained true to their convictions. Why? Their dreams gave them the courage to pursue what they believed was right, provided them with the moral ballast to speak out against the injustices of the day, and the power to inspire many other generations after to champion their causes.

It is striking that in a world that is increasingly focused on concrete material realities, people continue to dream big. Sporting events, the media industry, the animation industry, the fantasy and science fiction industries continue to emphasise the fact that dreams do come true and one should dream big. The filming of stories conjured up by people’s imaginations like The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Batman and Harry Potter have been hugely popular, showing that people continue to appreciate the other worlds our minds can offer, to desire alternate realities, to need an escape. People idolize sporting greats, Hollywood stars and the rich and famous, who represent a life beyond the ordinary, and through newspapers, tabloid magazines, and television shows, enjoy the vicarious pleasure of watching them do things ordinary people combine. Talent shows, lucky draws, and sweepstakes all testify to people’s dreams of making it big, and the commitment shown by contestants and the faithful who make their bets each week speaks volumes of the need for hope that things can change beyond our beliefs and our mundane experience.

Dreams are often dismissed because of their intangible and mysterious nature, and because time is so limited and there are so many other important things to do. Yet, the things we do not understand and which may seem unrelated and trivial hold a power beyond our expectations, a function that proves to be necessary to our daily lives. Dreams are important not just for individuals’ physical and mental well-being, they are also useful in helping us solve problems and create new ideas. Dreams provide the impetus for radical change, and keep us true to our vision amidst suffering and hardship. Dreams fuel our existence and make life that much more colourful, interesting and rich. Seen in this light, it is difficult to accept the view that dreams have little place in our pragmatic society today.

(Written by Elizabeth Mesenas, Published by Broader Perspectives: Issue 6 & 7)

Defining Beauty

Today I found this essay sandwiched between the hundreds of scrapes of magazine cut-outs that have all been abandoned in a corner of my room for a while. Well I remember that wrote this when I was fifteen, when I was a much of an avid writer than I am today.

The commotion from the audience was hushed as the ballerina entered the stage. The lone spotlight in the grand hall shone onto the where the masked ballerina was situated on the parquet floor. Dressed in a fluffy white dress adorned with laces at the hem, the ballerina, with her infamous golden Venetian mask, daintily bent down to touch her toes, signaling the start of her performance.

First, little strains from the violin strings could be heard. The music gently flowed in the hall into the ears of the audience, like honey being poured down a parched throat. The ballerina started off with swift, yet elegant movements and moved along with the music. Her legs were seemingly floating in the air, jumping and landing effortlessly on stage. Everyone gazed at the beautiful sight of the ballerina, not a single one of them peeling their eyes away from her.

The music subsequently gained momentum; tiny beats from the drum and little chimes from bells were added to quicken the rhythm. The ballerina seemed to emerge as a swan, dancing fleet and lovely pirouettes at the centre of the stage. She later trailed to the background and did a full spin in her famous swan pose, marking the climax of her performance with a thunderous applause from the audience. Finally, the ballerina did her last jump horizontally across the stage and landed like a cotton wool. The pianist held onto the keys a few more seconds than usual, and ended off with a final, low key. The ballerina turned to the audience, and bowed gracefully towards them. Like an unspoken language, the audience immediately clapped and cheered, filling the grand hall with festive noises. Soon after, the ballerina left the stage solemnly with her head held low. She was proud of her dance but she knew she would never be able to gain such recognition if not for the mask she had.

In her changing room, the ballerina took off the mask on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. She hated the sight of her face. Her horribly distorted face, which, when shown, will cost her to lose all the fame that she had built without it. She quickly changed into casual clothes and left the backstage. Suddenly, someone approached her and she thought, "Is there finally someone who will accept that I might be the Swan Lady?". To her utter chagrin, that person asked her about the Swan Lady's whereabouts. Ignoring that question, she elbowed her way out of the theatre amongst all her supporters, which did not even give her a second glance.

No one ever knew who the ballerina was, for the mystery behind this Swan Lady was never made known. For all her countless performances wide across the world, she always had a mask on her face. And it will always remain on her face. "Well until one day, one day when someone actually asks me if I am the Swan Lady," she laments.



"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller

Beauty is your life

He pats on my back-

Behind the screen behind all the virtual world
Your eyeball dilates, your vision filled with
All that you think you ever wanted
Perfect artworks, photographs

“Please don’t envy,” he coos. “If you can’t create things in this world,
create a world of yourself instead.”

And he pats on my back again.

Seven Years

For love never dies, so past loves are indubitably never been loved

I have gone wild and astray, flew thousand miles away from you but those memories still live on. It's silly to still think that it still exists, but I think I indeed am silly. You go away at times, numerous times in fact, but you still haunt me each January, every June.

So here is my confession, to whom and to nobody; I miss you, dearly. My heart still skips a beat whenever I mistaken someone for you, and it's really just you.

How shameless I am to write about you - but note that my inner thoughts might scare you, even more. But I'd like to ask you to remain just like that, and just there, and maybe one day, you'll go away (but please don't just go away).

They say that love reeks of regrets - do you agree with it?