#16 The Great Move

Any change, any loss, does not make us victims. Others can shake you, surprise you, disappoint you, but they can't prevent you from acting, from taking the situation you're presented with and moving on. No matter where you are in life, no matter what your situation, you can always do something. You always have a choice and the choice can be power.

- Blaine Lee

#14 Crossroads

“You may not remember the time you let me go first. Or the time you dropped back to tell me it wasn't that far to go. Or the time you waited at the crossroads for me to catch up. You may not remember any of those, but I do and this is what I have to say to you:

Today, no matter what it takes, we ride home together.”

- Brian Andreas, Traveling Light: Stories & Drawings for a Quiet Mind

#13 Paraiso

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.



- Khalil Gibran

#12 Swallowed By The Sea

There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.

- William Shakespeare

#11 Into the Western Horizon

The sun will set for you. And the sun will set for you. And the shadow of the day, will embrace the world in gray. And the sun will set for you.

#10 Unexpectedly

Tuesday afternoon. Seventh of February.

The weather was fine when I went to downtown The weather that time was humid and hot. After visiting the main office of Mindanao Travel Channel, the sky turned orange as the clouds as it reflected the golden rays of the setting sun. The moon was also beautiful as it rose from the eastern horizon. The sky was truly stunning.

At around 9PM, rain started to pour down. The wind got stronger and the clap of thunder was truly deafening (and intimidating). It rained for almost two hours. Little by little, my Facebook news feed and Twitter timeline got filled with reports of flooding within downtown Davao. Rivers started to rise at an alarming rate. People got stranded along the way and cars broke down in the middle of the storm. The flood didn't reach our house, fortunately, except for our front and back yard.

These freak storms are freaking me out. This is just one of the effects of being negligent to our environment. I do hope that the local government would fix this predicament. 

#9 Reach For the Sky

Whenever I dream about accomplishing something, I always try to reach for the sky, but not to the point that I would end up disappointed. I just know my capacity and limitations.

We just have to put this in our mind always that when we dream, it has to be big. Dreaming is free, so why limit our ambition if we can dream bigger, right?

To dream the impossible dream.

#5 Open Your Eyes

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.

We always think that material things would make our life complete. There's this unnecessary need of buying new things in order to satisfy our selfish needs. Somehow, we fail to realize that material things just come and go. We may possess them for quite some time, but whether we like it or not, it won't last forever.

Look around you. Your family and true friends are always there for you, through thick and thin. Love, friendship, loyalty and trust are the most important in human emotions and virtues. Through these, we learn to value the real meaning of life.

The prince encounters the fox; and at the close of the chapter, the fox, in saying goodbye to the prince says: 

"'Goodbye,' said the fox. 'And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.' 

'What is essential is invisible to the eye,' the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember. 

'It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.'  

'It is the time I have wasted for my rose--' said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.  

'Men have forgotten this truth,' said the fox. 'But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . .'  

'I am responsible for my rose,' the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.'" 

#2 You Are Unique

Many of us regarded high school as the best part of their teenage life. Mine wasn't. It was horrible.

I studied in a Chinese-Catholic school from Preschool to 4th year high school. Basically, it became my second home for almost thirteen years!

Back in high school, I can still vividly remembered how I made my way out through the competitive zone. Almost all of us were competing both in academics and extra-curricular activities. Almost everyone wanted to be on that particular position because almost everyone was just for the points and not to the commitment of being the leader. Only a few people wanted that position because they just simply want to serve.

As for me, I ran for a position to prove myself but always fail to win. I wasn't really that 'famous' in high school. I was a nerd (people don't like me, except exam periods). I am not a member of an affluent family. I didn't have older siblings who excel in either sports or academics.

It came to a point that I felt like I was an outcast. I wasn't given a chance at all.

Not until I entered the university.

Life at the university was really different. Everyone has the chance to become a leader, because everyone has the right to become a leader. I just realized that to be a leader, one shouldn't need to be member of an affluent family or to be influential (because you'll become one in the future). Through the years, I have learned how to lead and how to listen to the needs of my constituents; it's a give and take relationship! It was not an easy task but the learning process was pretty much fun and exciting.

Each of us is unique and each of us has different skills and talents.

Everyone deserves to become a leader because everyone deserves a CHANCE.

#1 Road to Wilderness

Some of us might have taken a particular road because of what people have told us about it. But, no matter how promising that road is, there will always be that particular point when one can actually feel exhaustion, to the point that he is on the verge of giving up. Some might have chosen to stay on that road, while others have taken a detour and start all over again.

In my case, it came to a point that I got pretty scared of just merely thinking of pursuing a medical career. No, I am not scared that I might not be able to handle it mentally. I was afraid that I might regret this decision and won't be happy for the rest of my life.  I do not know, but it was not really my ambition to become a doctor. Maybe I was just inspired by these two fictional TV characters namely Dr. Gregory House and Dr. Meredith Grey and from that point, I decided to just become one of them!

Silly me.

But then again, I have always believed that success does not completely reflect on how prestigious sounding your job is (aka doctor, lawyer and engineer), it is genuine happiness that really counts. Life is pointless when you are doing the things that you do not like, ending up frustrated as you get older. Doing the things that you like (as long as you are not harming others) will lead you to a happier disposition in life.

Some parents might find it difficult to accept if their child chose the other road.

Let them take the other road.

Because life is too short.