The Toothbrush to the Bicycle Tire

by Sarah Kay

They told me that I was meant for the cleaner life;

that you would drag me through the mud.

They said that you would tread all over me,

that they could see right through you,

that you were full of hot air;

that I would always be chasing,

always watching you disappear after sleeker models—

that it would be a vicious cycle.

But I know better. I know about your rough edges

and I have seen your perfect curves.

I will fit into whatever spaces you let me.

If loving you means getting dirty, bring on the grime.

I will leave this porcelain home behind. I’m used to

twice-a-day relationships, but with you I’ll take all the time.

And I know we live in different worlds, and we’re always really busy,

but in my dreams you spin around me so fast, I always wake up dizzy.

So maybe one day you’ll grow tired of the road,

and roll on back to me.

And when I blink my eyes into morning,

your smile will be the only one I see.

the other Kay

Just as how the waves return to shore in sweet surrender, I have come to return to the one of the things that I love - POETRY. Yes, I am a sucker for poetry. The selected words intertwined within the stanzas to narrate a story. The pauses and counting beats in every line that give such thrills. 

I had some few attempts in the past [click here] and I am still opting to compile all my work into a coffee book. Dreamy right?! But I will charge ahead with this dream in the nearest or farthest future  - hahaha.

And so, one day I was just wandering in the internet and read about Sarah Kay. Right then and there I didn't stopped clicking and searching about her poetry. Last Wednesday, I went to the bookstore to try my luck on buying her book - No Matter The Wreckage. Unfortunately it wasn't available so I made a reservation. I am keeping my fingers crossed to grab a copy by next month - oh please dear Universe, grant my birthday wish!

What made me interested in the book are the poems: Hands, Toothbrush to the Bicycle Tire, Montauk, and Something We Don't Talk About .

She also has this other book titled 'B' with this poem "If I should have a daughter" which made me cry watching her recite in TED.

bad habits, hardest to break

In my more than 10 years of working, I must say that the hardest part is Management. Within those years we have developed and practiced habits - we often call then "work-tradition". And last February we had an evaluation on our management skills. We referenced a list from the book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

We found out that we have checked almost all the items in the list. Haha! And that figures why we posed for mugshots - committed 20 bad habits.

The 20 Bad Habits
Challenges in Interpersonal Behavior  

1. Winning too much: The need to win at all costs and in all situations. 
2. Adding too much value: The overwhelming desire to add our 2 cents to every discussion.
3. Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
4. Making destructive comments: The needless sarcasm and cutting remarks that we think make us witty.
5. Starting with NO, BUT, HOWEVER:  The overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone that I’m right and you’re wrong.
6. Telling the world how smart we are:  The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are.
7. Speaking when angry: Using emotional volatility as a management tool.
8. Negativity, or “Let me explain why that won’t work”: The need to share our negative thoughts even when we weren’t asked. 
9. Withholding information: The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.  
10. Failing to give proper recognition: The inability to give praise and reward.
11. Claiming credit that that we don’t deserve: The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.
12. Making excuses: The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it. 
13. Clinging to the past: The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else. 
14. Playing favorites: Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.
15. Refusing to express regret: The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we’re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.
16. Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
17. Failing to express gratitude: The most basic form of bad manners.
18. Punishing the messenger: The misguided need to attack the innocent who are usually only trying to help us.
19. Passing the buck: The need to blame everyone but ourselves.
20. An excessive need to be “me”: Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they’re who we are. 

Credits to Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

MusicBoxDiary: Tell Her You Love Her

Tell Her You Love Her
Echosmith

Tell her a story
Tell her the honest truth
You treat her better
Make sure to see it through

Don't be just everything thing she wants
Be everything she needs
When she says she loves you
Tell her you love her too

Oh oh oh oh oh oh

Give her a reason
A reason to love all you do

She'll tell you secrets
You'll tell her secrets too
She'll tell you all her hopes and dreams
You'll tell them too

When she says she loves you
Tell her you love her too
But don't you run away run away
When you get tired
Cus this will slip away slip away
And start a fire
That can never be put out
Oh hurry time is running out
But don't you run away run away
Before you say
You love her (oh oh oh x2)

When she says she needs you
Tell her you need her too
You tell her clearly
Speak what your heart wants you to
Tell her she's lovely
Always tell her the truth

When she says she loves you
Tell her you love her too
But don't you run away run away
When you get tired
Cus this will slip away slip away
And start a fire
That can never be put out
Oh hurry time is running out
But don't you run away run away
Before you say
You love her (oh oh oh x2) 

my WILD telltale

I think I wouldn't be able to move on from the movie WILD unless I write something about it. It is a must see movie, I must say. For those who wanted to get inspiration from the life experiences of others - then this is 'the' movie to watch. I already ran down a list in this previous post.

(Clears throat) 

Somewhere in between my younger days, I myself was inclined on getting lost into the wilderness. It is as if all the answers we seek is out there - as if it holds the promise of healing. I am not sure what's with taking a hundred or thousand miles that makes a difference in our lives. I am not sure why sometimes we need to stray away from the present and from the reality to figure out things.

Really... I am not sure. But somewhere in getting lost, you find yourself - you find your way and reasons.

True, witnessing picturesque scenery is some kind of cure. It's like you breath in some medicinal air and you breath out all the toxic out of your system. You get to realize how magnificent life is - the beauty in every sunrise  and the promise in every sunset. Your life issues appear to be small when your up in the mountains - it feels like you are above everything.

Oh I could still feel in my skin the rush. My heart would still skip its beat whenever I go back to those memories. The memories of climbing mountains, trekking unfamiliar trails, getting lost in the woods with no cellphone signal and enough equipments, depending on the surroundings for food & water, going out of your comfort zone, and a whole lot more of words to describe and experiences to tell. I rebelled my reality! My heart was in search for something - something I don't know at that time. I know that I was in search for answers but I wasn't sure of my questions either. Haha! I loved the feeling of danger! We walked against strong river currents and dived into deep waters along the river trek without minding the fact that I don't know how to swim. I depended my life on the hands of my companions. We battled the weather - thinking that rum, smoke, and layers of clothing would ease the shivers.

And then you reach the end of the adventure and go back to our realities. But this time, we carry with us the fact that we have conquered a great adventure - we finished something. We have stories to tell, we have experiences to remember, and we became a witness of something greater that our very own questions. I realized that my rants were all petty. Life wouldn't stop at my whim. The sun will continue to rise the next day and the day will always be concluded with a sunset. It's a matter of perspective, sometimes. 

So cheers to the adventures of life!!!

pulled off the best prank (by far) on April Fools

mis·chief

/ˈmisCHif/

noun

• playfulness that is intended to tease, mock, or create trouble
• playful misbehavior or trouble-making, especially in children. 

This year's April Fools we did get enough of MISCHIEF ^_^

Thanks to my partners in mischief hahaha! 

On lunch break, we decided to dine out in the nearest mall. We had a festive lunch filled with conversation and laughter - like always!

One friend removed her retainers when eating. She wrapped it with a table napkin ang placed beside her plate. 

When we were done. She went to the bathroom...leaving her mischievous friends behind.
 

Out of the blue, one of us decided to replace the retainers wrapped in table napkin with a leftover chicken bone wrapped in table napkin! Hahaha! The retainers were hidden in the bag so we won't actually switch it when the waiter clears our table.

Then she's back from the bathroom. We were bursting in laughter! She didn't have any idea of our scheme. Worst part is she didn't checked the table napkin. She picked up the table napkin beside her plate (exactly where she left it) and walked out of the restaurant with us.

We were back in the office and our stomachs were aching in holding back our laughter. When it's time for her to brush her teeth, she brought with her the table napkin with retainers - as she thought.

When it's time for her to check - imagine the look in her face while saying "This is not my retainers!!!"

I still laugh whenever I think about it. Oh boy that was the best prank by far! So kudos to my mischievous friends for this unforgettable April Fools.

LESSON: Never leave behind your personal belongings to your MISCHIEVOUS FRIENDS (LOL) 

MusicBoxDiary: BLURRY

[Verse 1]

Everything's so blurry and everyone's so fake
And everybody's empty and everything is so messed up
Pre-occupied, without you I cannot live at all
Now the world surrounds you, I stumble then I crawl

And you could be my someone, you could be my seed
You know that I'll protect you from all of the obscene
I wonder what you're doing, imagine where you are
There's oceans in between us but that's not very far

[Chorus]

Can you take it all away
Can you take it all away
When you shoved it in my face
This pain you gave to me
Can you take it all away
Can you take it all away
When you shoved it my face


[Verse 2]

Everyone is changing, there's no one left that's real
So make up your own ending and let me know just how you feel
Cause I am lost without you, I cannot live at all
Now the world surrounds you, I stumble then I crawl

You could be my someone, you could be my scene
You know that I will save you from all of the unclean
I wonder what you're doing, I wonder where you are
There's oceans in between us but that's not very far

[Chorus]

Can you take it all away
Can you take it all away
When you shoved it in my face
This pain you gave to me
Can you take it all away
Can you take it all away
When you shoved it my face
This pain you gave to me

[Bridge]

Nobody told me what you thought
Nobody told me what to say
Everyone showed you where to turn
Told you when to run away
Nobody told you where to hide
Nobody told you what to say
Everyone showed you where to turn
Showed you when to run away

[Chorus]

Can you take it all away
Can you take it all away
When you shoved it in my face
This pain you gave to me
Can you take it all away
Can you take it all away
When you shoved it my face
This pain you gave to me
No, this pain you gave to me
This pain you gave to me

[Outro]

Can you take it all
Can you take it all away
The pain you gave to me
This pain you gave to me
This pain you gave to me
Take it all away
This pain you gave to me...

**********************************

One of my ultimate favorite songs ^_^