An Unforeseen Obligation

Hello world.

Once again, RL is kicking my butt hard by not giving me enough time to work on a post for this week. I have so much to talk about, vent about, gush about and wonder about. However, tonight, the call of duty beckons me to help out a friend in need, and that is what this gal shall do.

Ergo, for now, you all must be appeased with an extremely sappy (almost depressing) poem from my past. Back in those days, the poet in me was fairly high-shooting, going impromptu and exposé. I also had the feels for someone, and was irrationally fascinated by them. So, please don't judge...

I called this poem, "Surge - A Sea of Words".

I thought you were a breeze..
Gently blowing away my sorrow,
But you turned out to be a hurricane..
That left me with an ominous tomorrow.

I thought you were the sun..
Who'd shine my world again,
You were naught but a big dark shadow..
That doomed my life in pain.

I thought you were an angel..
Sent by the Almighty to watch over me,
But alas, you were were a demon..
Who seemed to just walk over me.

I thought you were my best friend..
One of the few who loved me and who cared..
But over the years you made me realise..
Thinking that was the biggest mistake I made.

Fairly short, fairly bitter, but I think at the time, made me really happy to write something so bold.

I know that I have a LOT of making up to do in writing. But hopefully the dust will settle around my super hectic, crazy, non-stop schedule and give me some time to put something beautiful together for whoever is out there reading this stuff.

Until next time, I must say a hurried goodbye.

Hasta la-buh bye!

#ThrowbackThursday: French Edition (Part II)

*waves*

You know, most days, I secretly wish for a simple, routine life that is void of troubles and worries. Then I realize that such a life may border on boring and mundane, and could end up becoming void of adventure and spontaneity. After that, I am thankful for having a life that does have flavor and adventure, and that I am not stuck in a rut. And then, RL takes my appreciation a bit too enthusiastically and hits me with everything its got. The rest as they say, is history.

(Read above spiel as: Life has been so busy for the last few days, I'm just tired...)

But any-moo, let's go back to France!

My journey through the city of love consisted of many world renowned attractions. The Louvre, of course, was an important landmark in our tour. Being a Dan Brown fan, and having read all of his novels makes this structure all the more fascinating.

The absolutely rich culture could almost be felt in that building... it was simply ah-mazing. The incredible architecture, the intricate designs and colossal paintings.. I honestly wished that I had about 8 heads on my shoulders, and they would still not have been enough to take everything in. From the Mona Lisa to the tombstones to Leonardo Da Vinci, the Louvre is a museum I'd need to visit about a hundred more times to do it the justice it (and a geek like me) deserves.

The other thing I also realized when I was there is the magnificence that the French like to showcase. So many of the buildings in the quaint, yet hustling and bustling capital were huge. They were truly grand in all their aspects, and standing before them would just fill you with so much awe.

Another beautiful place we visited and toured was the Palace of Versailles. Hands up, the most stunning home I have ever laid my eyes on. Not only did the grandeur of it all impress me, but it also rocked me to my core to see how functional this home had been back in the older days. The stories we heard of the different rooms, the passion with which the tour guides spoke, their utter and undying devotion to maintaining the history in this place - you almost felt like royalty!

The Champs-Élysées leading right up to the Arc de Triomphe.

Another breath-taking spectacle to behold on Paris. Famous for it's wide range of high end retail stores, it's cobbled roads and several famous landmarks along it, this scenic route holds a lot of history behind it dating back to the French Revolution.

While the route itself is meant to be like a paradise, the arc at the end pays homage to the French revolutionaries who fought and lost their lives during the Napoleanic Wars. For a monument that holds so much beauty, it also holds a lot of grief and sorrow.

Can anybody hazard a guess at this?

While I know it looks like I'm photographing the lady, and if not the lady, that pretty building in the back. Au contraire, I was trying very hard to take a picture of that bridge that's seen in this picture below. Famously known as the "Love-Lock Bridge", and formally as Pont des Arts, this bridge hosts thousands and thousands locks that lovers tie to the bridge.

After putting up a lock on the bridge, they then throw away their key in the Seine River below to symbolize their undying love for one another.

Whoever takes me to Paris, buys me a padlock with our names engraved on it, and gives me the key to throw away - I'd certainly hold on to them! ;)

And finally, after a long and hard day of sightseeing, we came to a lovely little cafe near our studio apartment. I don't think I've ever had a tastier burger than the one I had there. Those French fries were baked to perfection, and the salad didn't taste like stale grass!

All the meals I had when I was in France did justice to everything, anyone has ever said about French cuisine - it was simply exquisite. Especially for a foodie like me, my taste buds were doing a happy jig like never before!

With this, the French edition of my throwback Thursdays comes to a bittersweet end. I also feel the need to point out, that all of these wonderful pictures were  captured by yours truly on nothing but a simple phone camera. I can't help but be proud of them, considering they were taken from all sorts of odd angles, moving buses, crowded places and crazy heights.

Remembering it makes it miss it terribly, and really makes me want to pack my bags and up and leave. Paris was a trip I will never forget in my life. A few of the most important days of my life were spent there, and I would not trade them for the world. The lessons I learned, the memories I made are some that I will carry with me forever.

However, I now bid you, au revoir!

In terms of that amazing post I'd mentioned, I'm still working on it. I haven't quite gotten everything I need to write it out just yet, but as soon as I have it, there shall be magic. Just you wait.

Until then...

Hasta la-buh bye!

Visage.

People are not who you may think they are or who they appear to be.

So I thought about this for a bit, and here's what I realized: the aforementioned statement can have either a positive or negative connotation/interpretation to it, depending on the behavior of the individual in question.

I never thought that I'd be inspired to write a post because of someone I did not want to be associated with. But in the last few days, I have learned so much about this individual in such a short time, that I have come to respect them (although partly out of reluctance). An important motto in my life is knowledge is power; therefore, anyone who possesses knowledge or skills that I may not have, is certainly more powerful than me, in a sense.

But again, I digress.

This week's post is not going to be very long, but it's my attempt to to understand people's capability of having multiple facets (while claiming to be a) single individual.

The very person I mentioned earlier, had a very impressive, spiritual, confident and promising aura about them. But at the same time, I had also observed conniving, sleazy and sneaky and downright untruthful behavior by them in the past. The extent to which this person could simply switch between personalities, the ease with which they could spin together a story, the conviction of their sincerity truly astounded me. And even though I would normally be extremely wary of associating with such people, this trait about their personality really intrigued me,

So where am I going with this?

I suppose I'm trying to understand why people feel the need to put on various charades while facing different aspects of their lives. Why is it that individuals feel the need to present themselves in a very particular light to certain people in their lives?

It may depend on the level of comfort one feels being while they're surrounded by different people, Mayhaps touching on the point I made earlier, individuals may also desire to possess knowledge that others don't. Through this, they become owners of scarce intelligence, which technically, cannot be taken away from them; it is intangible, untouchable and downright powerful.

There have been so many other people in my life who have only recently begun revealing their true visage. Along with this, their intentions, their hidden agendas, their ulterior motives slowly become more apparent in their plan of action.

What kind of implications does this have?

In my personal opinion, I think it is human nature to be wary of an individual with so many different personalities; it is simply more difficult to trust someone who is incapable of being a 100% honest with you. The lack of knowing who to trust and who to ignore may gradually influence our thinking process altogether, without us being aware of it.

Does this also make us wary of new things altogether? Does having our guard up against these individuals with multiple faces hinder our capability of being empathetic, especially towards those people who may be honest, straightforward people?

So, in conclusion...

I think a big reason for my rant was how these multiple-faceted beings make life extremely difficult for the humble souls who know nothing but sincerity and singularity. While they certainly create an unstable and distrustful environment, in a sense, they also teach us a valuable life lesson about loyalty and accountability. Ultimately, this is an ideal perception to have:

That's all for now, folks. I really need to get me some shut-eye. If all works out well, I am beyond excited for next week's post. I'm hoping for it to be a very personal, moving and sincere piece.

So until next time, m'dears...

Hasta la-buh bye!

Draw My Life

So, today was one of the best days I've had in years. Honestly, in years. The reason for it will be revealed hopefully in next week's, or next to next week's post.

I wanted so much to write about my day, in all the details that ensued, but there was a part of that story that wasn't yet complete. Here's hoping I finish that jigsaw puzzle before next week, and I'm able to write one of my best posts yet.

So, I know I'm kind of cheating with this because I've done a self-interview before, but this was the quickest (and easiest) way to share something about myself. Several people on YouTube love to do these "draw my life" videos, but let me try to paint you a picture with my words...

Just with words.

1. What is your best childhood memory?

On my 9th birthday, my mom and my aunt presented me with CDs of the first two Harry Potter movies. I spent my entire birthday party watching them and swooning over 11-year-old Daniel Radcliffe with my girl friends. Definitely the best birthday party, and the best childhood memory.

2. If you had a chance for a “do-over” in life, what would you do differently?

Honestly? Nothing. My life has been this way to make me the way I am, and I would not change that for the world. I might remove the accident that broke my leg out of my life, though.

3. What was the weirdest prank call you've ever made?

A large group of my friends decided to call this one guy and pretend that he had just been selected as a contestant on a radio show that was being aired live. We asked him to sing songs, answer riddles, share secrets, and I think he shared things that he'd been holding in for many years that none of us expected to hear. Funny, but weird.

4. What question do you hate to answer?

"What do you want to do in the future?"

Let my spontaneity make that decision for me, will ya?!

5. What is your favorite music?

I love music in almost all of it's shapes and forms, but the kind of music that I remember consistently loving as I grew up, were songs by a band named Westlife.

6. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why? 

I would absolutely love to while my time away at a beautiful beach, almost anywhere in the world. A place that would allow me to close to nature, enjoy solitude, soak in my favorite element of water and crisp under the sun.

7. If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?

To be answered...

8. What teacher in school made the most impact on you and why?

My grade 9 science teacher was a lovely lady from England. Being an avid Harry Potter fan, I was already gaga over the adorable accent.

She later on became my guidance counsellor in high school, and introduced me to so many different programs and organizations that really opened up my perspective on life. She honed my personality, allowed me to pursue my passions and gave me the confidence I didn't know I had.

9. What do you want your tombstone to say?

"On to the next adventure."

10. What was one of your most defining moments in life?

My champagne birthday, standing before the Eiffel Tower and drinking champagne. Made my realize that every single dream can be achieved.

11. How do you spend your free time?

Usually reading. I'm a huge book worm. Or watching movies. Or cooking. Or playing Scrabble.

I also tend to daydream quite a bit. My thoughts are usually like an intertwined web that tends to flow from one place to another.

Other days, I love to be surrounded by people - whether it be my parents, friends, family, as long as I'm doing something and not sitting idle, free time is being enjoyed thoroughly!

12. If you won the lottery, what would you do?

Travel, invest into photography, take piano lessons, quit my job, then find another job that pays higher and, buy everyone presents, give money to charity, get a few things off my bucket list.

13. Who do you most admire in life?

My parents. What they have achieved thus far in life is completely inspiring.

14. What are your top three favourite books and why?

1. The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - Read it, you'd be crazy not to love it.
2. Angels & Demons - Who doesn't love some good Dan Brown
3. The Undomestic Goddess - This story speaks volumes to me, and has just the right amount of realistic romance that a novel should have.

15. What feels like love to you?

When someone fills your heart with so much happiness that you forget the reason for your existence - that's love.

16. What is your strongest personal quality?

Observing people.

17. If you were president, what is the first thing you would do?

Sort out the liars.

18. If you could witness any event of the past, present, or future, what would it be?

I'd like to witness the invention of time-travel and volunteer to be the first person who does time travel. And perhaps come to this point in time again and answer the same thing, and again, and again, and... you get the point.

19. What is a skill you’d like to learn and why?

I'd like to be absolutely fluent in ASL (American Sign Language), because it has always been a dream of mine to be able to do something for individuals who are hearing-impaired.

20. What does a perfect day look like to you?

Waking up when I felt truly rested, getting breakfast in bed, taking a nice hot shower / bath, do just enough work to move around the body, settle back into bed with a juicy novel, cook something extremely fancy and delicious, go for a nice long walk in the sun, watch some funny movies, have another great meal and a glass of wine, and put myself to sleep while reading the same novel.

If I could do that every day and get paid for doing that, I'd be a pretty happy camper.

So there you have it. Another little insight into my world, even though I do feel like I've cheated and not written a post worthy of substance this week.

If all goes according to my plan, I promise that next week's post will be some of my best work. I'm so excited that my fingers are tingling!

But with that, I bid adieu. Until next week...

Hasta la-buh bye!